Mysteries of the Heart
by deathnoteuser07
Summary: After Xenia's death, the World Guardian and Ariane must deal with the wakening of the Elder gods, while struggling at the same time with their own inner demons. Ariane must get over the shock of killing Xenia, and the World Guardian must alert Zaros of what has happened...time is slipping through their fingers before the inevitable happens and Gielinor becomes the next Freneskae...
1. Chapter 1: Reflections and Secrets

**(Author's Note: Here it is, a brand new Runescape story. Yes, I'm still working on _Secret of the Ilujanka. _Yes, _Destroyer of Olympus _is still on my mind. There'll going to be updated...eventually...any day now...in the meantime, here's a story I wrote in response to the _Heart of Stone _quest. This story is a sequel to _Dawn of the Sixth_ _Age, _so I'd recommend you click on my profile and read that first.) **

**Note: As usual, gameplay and storyline segregation, in which the elements of the game that can't be taken seriously/doesn't translate well into a short story, such as respawning, eating an entire shark to heal mortal injuries, etc. being be changed/ignored depending on the situation will apply).  
**

In the absolute blackness, there was a faint voice calling out. She couldn't make out the exact words, but the voice had a ring of familiarity to it, stirring her sense of curiosity. She strained to hear, but her efforts were wasted; the voice was still as fuzzy as ever. She wanted to move closer, but that was impossible, for she was paralysed and at the same time bodiless—just a small piece of consciousness, floating in the pitch black abyss.

Fortunately, she didn't have to be in that uncomfortable condition for long, because the voice got louder and clearer on its own, eventually allowing her to recognise her own name.

"Ariane!"

"Hey…Ariane!"

"Ariane…"

"Please…wake up…"

"Ariane…"

"I know you're there…"

"Ariane…"

She slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, all she could see were smudges of colour. As her vision cleared, she could tell that she sitting up, with her back slumped against the grey walls of a dimly lit cave. Scattered across the floor were the dirt and rock remains of a destroyed golem, and just directly across her was a _very_ short tunnel which led to a smaller cavern that had a gigantic, unfinished-looking stone bust (with no eyes, mouth, or lips) placed at the centre.

"Are you all right?"

Ariane turned to her left, and saw a pretty blond in Bandos warpriest armour hovering over her and looking concerned.

There was a pause before she replied. In that moment of silence, Bryce wanted to kick himself. This was the second time he had failed to protect her. His mind quickly raced back to a few hours ago, where he and Ariane confronted Xenia at Draynor Bridge in front of the Wizards' Tower for stealing Pablo Corvusa's research papers. All of them had their weapons drawn and ready to fight, but despite being wizened with age, Xenia managed to hit him with a blast of magic, which knocked him back until he landed several feet away. While he was down, she hit Ariane with the same spell, sending her flying until she landed a few feet away from him, before taking the chance to teleport away.

Bryce clenched his fists. _And all I could do was watch…how can this be? _

_I am the World Guardian…I am an accomplished swordsman, an amazing archer and a brilliant wizard, I can kill easily and efficiently in a thousand different ways…but I couldn't even stop an old lady…I let her hurt Ariane…_

_I'm so…stupid…so useless!… _

Images of the people he had already defeated flashed through his mind, from the Pest Queen to General Graardor, to Zemouregal, to Enakhra, to K'ril Tsutsaroth, to the Dagannoth Mother, to Vanstrom Klause, but it only made his nails dig deeper into his palms.

_Why?...Why is it that I could beat all of them but I still can't beat Xenia? Why is it that even with all of my powers I can't protect what is precious to me?_

_Why?...Why?!…._

_WHY?!... _

_I've heard that saying…when a man wants to protect what is most precious to him, that's when he becomes truly strong; that's when he shows what he's really capable of; that's when he unleashes power he's never known he even had…_

…_But….I couldn't…_

He gritted his teeth as he recalled his journey to track down Xenia after she teleported. Assisted by Kipple, his golem guide, they chased her throughout Gielinor from Entrana to the Kharidian Desert near Sophanem, where they met up and communicated with the mouthpieces of the Elder gods. It eventually took them into a portal in the Lumbridge graveyard, which they entered. Bryce was just in the middle of asking Xenia what she was doing when Ariane teleported in.

Seeing she was cornered, Xenia had to explain her plan to strip Gielinor of its magic, before opening up a portal to complete it. However, she let her guard down for one second, and Ariane was able to kill her with an Air Surge spell, causing Xenia's body to fall into her own portal, and that was when the real fight began.

* * *

Immediately after Xenia's body fell in, a huge golem-like creature climbed out of the smoking portal. Despite being an experienced adventurer who had travelled throughout Gielinor, the giant wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before, with rough, brown armoured skin like an armadillo, a stocky upper body that was somehow supported by bent, frog-like legs, no neck or mouth, and a stomach that was glowing yellow. In addition to his armoured skin, the creature also had spiked shoulder, thigh, and arm pads. But what Bryce found to be the most queer thing about this creature was the fact he had narrow, yellow visors where his eyes should've been.

"Who are you?" Ariane asked. "What are you?"

"I am the Prehistoric Abyssal," the creature said. "Beast of the Abyss. I have existed for millennia, and seen the Elder cycles of creation and destruction. You have achieved nothing. The witch has already sealed your fate. Their sleep is disrupted, their fury approaches."

_No! _Bryce thought. _That's not true…that's not possible! _

"And now…you will die just as you killed Xenia," the Abyssal said. "We agreed that I would stop anyone or anything that tries to stop her…we had a deal; and now I will fulfill my end of it." He shot a fireball at Ariane, who dodged the attack, and shot back with a Fire Wave of her own. The flames hurled towards him, but they were put out when they came into contact with its body, as if its skin was made of water.

"What? He's not even burnt?" she cried.

"Master?" Kipple said. "I am picking up strange energy signals, but I need time to properly process it."

"You do that, Kipple" Bryce told him. "And I'll do this!"

He charged at the Abyssal, but the beast shot a large fireball at him. He sidestepped, and managed to avoid the fire. Bryce then continued to run, and when he got close enough, he leapt into the air.

"Ariane, now!" he ordered.

She nodded and then casted a Water Wave spell, which summoned a whirl of water that shot forward, looking and spinning like a unibit. Before the Abyssal could react, he was splashed with water, which left him uninjured but wet.

While he was mid-air, Bryce swung his Bandos godsword, slashing at the Abyssal's head. However, the beast seemed to know what Bryce had in mind, for he raised his arm in defence to shield himself. When the force of gravity came down on Bryce and he had to land, his blade brushed against the Abyssal's arm as he descended through the air.

Seconds after Bryce got to his feet, he glanced at the Abyssal's (still raised) arm, and his purple eyes widened in shock.

_What? That didn't work either? _He thought. _But…how? My godsword can cut through anything! _

The Abyssal must've known how truly shocked Bryce was, because he was able to pick him up with his hand and fling him across the cavern without any trouble.

Bryce flew through the air and landed flat on his back several feet away from the Abyssal and Ariane. The impact made him cough up blood.

"Bryce!" Ariane cried.

"Master!" Kipple shouted at the same time.

"Fools!" The Abyssal yelled. "There is no weapon in the world that can penetrate my armour. Attack me all you want, but you will only be wasting your time and strength. Save yourselves the trouble and give up now. After all, you are already doomed."

The Abyssal wiped his hands on his back, drying them. Then, thinking that Bryce was too dazed from being thrown to move, he shot a fireball at him.

He was right about one thing, but wrong about the other. While it was true that Bryce was dazed from the impact, he wasn't dazed enough; he could still move. He rolled away at the last second, and the fireball hit the ground next to him, charring it.

Ariane and Kipple ran over to him, but Bryce got up, before either one of them could help him stand.

"Master, I've finished processing the energy," Kipple said. "It surrounds his own skin and acts as a special kind of armour. Until we break it down, it really is impervious to any approaching attack."

"But how are we to manage that?" Ariane asked. "He's immune to my magic and Bryce's s sword."

"The energy that surrounds his body protects him, but it isn't perfect," Kipple said. "It has flaws; certain areas that are more vulnerable to attacks. If those parts are hit hard enough, the energy will bleed away. Furthermore, if one part is broken, the rest will be affected. They will weaken too, making them vulnerable enough to be worn down when they're hit again."

"So it works almost exactly like a knight's suit of armour," Bryce commented. "If one part is broken, the rest is instantly weakened. If I can smash of its weak spots, I might be able to do the same to the same to the rest."

Kipple nodded. "Keep in mind, Master, that when you break through a weak point, the areas closest to it will be weakened the most."

_Just like normal armour, then. _

"Bryce, you have to be the one to do it," Ariane said. "I can try to chip away the armour, but even my strongest spell will not hit as hard as your blade. Next to your blade, my spells are like needle pricks; they're weak and take too long to do any real harm to an enemy with this sort of defence. You however, wield the destructive power that can smash even the strongest metal; you have a better chance of shattering his armour."

"I'll do that," Bryce said. "What's his first weak spot?"

"His eyes, Master" Kipple responded. "If you can call it that."

_That's not surprising, _Bryce thought. _Always the eyes…it's always the eyes. No matter how hard their armour is, you can always be sure the eyes are the softest, weakest parts—the best parts to stab. _

"But what about the fireballs?" Ariane asked. "I already hit his hands once with water; I doubt he'd fall for the same trick again. As long as he can shoot fire, you won't be able to get close. As long as you can't get close, you will never break his armour."

"The closer he is, the harder it is to dodge the fireballs," Bryce said. "And as long as I'm dry, I'll be vulnerable."

A few seconds passed before Ariane had an idea. "Don't move, Bryce."

She leapt several feet back.

"Finished making your plans, are you?" The Abyssal said. "But it is pointless to resist. My armour can withstand anything. In the end, you will die, just like your world."

_He doesn't even know about his weak spots, _Bryce thought. _He's the fool. _

Ariane fired a Water Wave at Bryce. The spell summoned a spinning unibit of water, which hit him in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards, but a second later, he quickly got back on his feet.

He rushed at the Abyssal again, and just like before, the beast shot fireballs at him. Bryce ducked, and continued to run. This time when he got close, he did not jump into the air. Instead, he pretended to slash at the monster's legs, which made the Abyssal raise his fist into the air before aiming a punch at him.

When the fist came down, Bryce leapt into the air at the last second, and landed on his arm, exactly at the halfway point between the Abyssal's wrist and shoulder, avoiding the spikes of his arm pad, as the Abyssal's fist hit the ground, cracking it and causing the jagged rocks underneath to spring up.

The Abyssal then aimed his other fist at Bryce, but the World Guardian jumped out of the way at the last second, and on the Abyssal's shoulder with his feet positioned between the spikes of his shoulder pads.

Bryce ran all the way to the back of its neck, and Ariane shot more Fire Waves at the Abyssal, which had do effect, although he shot fireballs back at her with one hand, and tried to grab Bryce with the other, all while ignoring Kipple.

Bryce sidestepped, managing to steer clear of his fingers, and at the same time, Ariane was able to dodge the fireballs. Bryce leapt up again, and this time he landed on the Abyssal's head. As Ariane shot more Fire Waves, and the Abyssal shot back, he ran to the edge just directly above where the monster's glabella would have been. A hand reached down to grab him, but he jumped off, just before the fingers touched him.

As he plunged through the air, he knew he only had seconds to do this. He thrusted his godsword at the Abyssal's yellow visors, pouring all of his strength into his arm. The blade penetrated the Abyssal's energy armour and entered his visor, causing a substance that looked like a magenta-coloured metal spring to drip out.

Bryce smiled. _Success…_

But then the magenta spring wriggled, like a guinea worm being extracted, except instead of leaving the body, it was trying to go back inside.

"Don't let it get back in!" Kipple shouted. 'That's energy residue! It's weak, but if it merges with his body, it can still repair his armour to some extent!"

The abyssal reached down, this time with both hands, but Bryce was quick to react. Before

the Abyssal's fingers could close in around him, he let go of the godsword hilt, and while he plummeted down to the ground, Ariane shot a Fire Wave at the magenta spring.

Unlike the Abyssal's skin, the magenta spring didn't have kind of special protection or even protection at all, because it dissipated the moment the flames from Ariane's spell hit it.

Bryce landed on his feet, and smiled with satisfaction when he saw the cracks around the godsword that was stuck in the Abyssal's visor. While he was distracted, the beast took the opportunity to kick him in the chest, sending him skidding across the ground, stopping only when he was several feet away. He coughed up blood again.

The Abyssal touched his visor and upon feeling the cracks, he used both hands to shoot double fireballs at Bryce, who did not bother to roll away because he was still wet from the Water Wave and he knew what happened when fire met water.

The fire was put out the moment it touched him. The abyssal then pulled the godsword out of his visor, wincing as he did so. He then tried to break the sword in two, but Ariane casted a Telekinetic Grab spell, which caused a purple sphere to be launched towards the sword. When it touched Bryce's godsword, it grew to accommodate its lengthy size, before disappearing and reappearing at Ariane's side.

Ariane then shot a Fire Wave at the Abyssal and without his energy armour, she was able to burn his visor exactly at the spot where Bryce's sword had hit him before. The Abyssal growled and shot fireballs in rapid succession at her, but she dodged them all.

"Ariane!" Bryce shouted. "More water! But I want something stronger this time!"

"Okay!"

She shot a Water Surge spell, which sent him skidding a few more feet away. He was drenched nevertheless.

He straightened himself up. "Now throw me my sword!"

Ariane picked up his godsword, but she could barely lift it, let alone throw it properly. "I can't! It's too heavy!"

Bryce ran to her, and Kipple followed a few seconds later.

"Master, his next weak spot is his stomach."

"Good."

Ariane shot more Fire Waves at the Abyssal's visor, but the monster bent into a crouch, avoiding the flames. While he was crouched, Ariane shot a Fire Wave at his stomach, as Bryce picked up his sword, and ran at the beast.

The Abyssal sidestepped, and managed to dodge the fire again. He shot fireballs at Ariane with one hand, and at the same time, swung his other fist at Bryce, who repeated what he did last time. While the fist hit the ground, cracking it and sending the rocks beneath flying upwards, Bryce leapt onto his arm again, making sure to avoid the spikes.

He then jumped to his shoulder, and once again managed to land his feet between the spikes. At the same time, he was quick enough to avoid the Abyssal's fingers, which tried to grab him. He ran to the back of his neck again, and the Abyssal, seeing that Bryce couldn't be grabbed, deliberately backed into a cave wall in an attempt to crush him.

But rather than let himself be crushed, Bryce leapt back to Abyssal's shoulder, and ran to the edge, right before the Abyssal's body hit the cave wall with a _thwack_. He turned around, so that his back was facing the way down, and then he placed both of his hands on the hilt of his godsword. A second later he jumped off, with the end of his blade scraping against the Abyssal's body as he slid down, moving from its chest to its abdomen until his feet hit the ground.

Bryce glanced up and saw that although the Abyssal's chest was uninjured, his stomach had a deep, long gash across it. Magenta gushed out, and Ariane shot Fire Waves at them, making them scatter into the air.

The Abyssal then shot more fireballs at Ariane, but before he could try to do anything to Bryce, the World Guardian shouted "Kipple, where is the next weak spot?"

"His—

Kipple was interrupted when the Abyssal realised that Kipple was a bigger threat than he looked and used his other hand to shoot a fireball at the golem, who was able to run away before they could hit him.

With both of the Abyssal's hands being occupied, Bryce leapt into the air again, and slashed him in the stomach. When he landed on the ground, he saw the result of the X-shaped wound, which had more magenta pouring out.

Ariane shot even more Fire Waves, dissolving the magenta residue, and making the Abyssal growl again, before the monster decided to focus all of his attention on Bryce. He deliberately fell forward, trying to crush him, but Bryce leapt out of the way just a second before the Abyssal hit the ground with another _thwack_.

Bryce then leapt forward and landed a few inches away from his head. He stabbed him repeatedly in the visor. This time, no magenta springs came out. The Abyssal reached out with his hand, but Bryce leapt back before his fingers could even get close.

The Abyssal stood up, and Ariane shot a Fire Wave at his abdomen. Now that it was no longer protected by armour, the flames scorched his skin, turning it black.

* * *

He glanced at Ariane, and the sight of her singed armour and hair, bruised skin, and blood trickling down the corners of her mouth made him feel like punching the walls of the cave until his knuckles broke.

_Why? Why is it that no matter how strong I get...I still can't protect what I hold dear?...First Xenia and now the Abyssal…_

He did not want to think about what could be next. Just the memory of what the Abyssal had already done to Ariane was enough to make him want to hold her close, as if that would shield her from the dangers of the world.

* * *

"That's the last of it, Master!" Kipple yelled, as Bryce leapt a few yards away from the Abyssal. "His armour is finally broken!"

"Now we turn the tables on him!" Bryce said.

But it looked like it had already begun, for the Abyssal had more cuts as well as burns on his stomach and legs, and one half of his face was mostly burnt black. If the Abyssal had actual eyes like a human, it would have given Bryce a death glare, and if looks could kill, Bryce would have gotten a heart attack.

Instead, the best summoned all of the strength in his arms and threw a fireball at Ariane, which flew at her at such a fast rate that she wasn't quick enough to dodge. The fireball hit her, and she was thrown backwards into the air until she slammed into the cave wall with a loud _thud._

"Ariane!" Bryce cried out.

The impact made her cough up blood, and she slipped into unconsciousness a second later.

The Abyssal threw another fast fireball at Kipple, who also got hit. Being a golem, Kipple exploded, sending rocks and dirt flying in all directions.

Bryce raised an arm, and shielded his face from the debris. Kipple's death did not incite any passion from him. In fact he was completely apathetic about it, but he knew the Abyssal had to pay dearly for even putting a scratch on Ariane.

Now it was Bryce's turn to death glare, which was exactly what he did to the Abyssal, before rushing at the beast with his godsword pointed straight at it.

* * *

"I'm…I'm fine," Ariane said.

It took Bryce a second to reply. "Are you sure? You look rather pale. We should patch up your injuries."

"That…won't be necessary," Ariane said, ignoring her throbbing head, aching body, breathlessness, fatigue and the urge to just close her eyes and let the blackness take over, for there were much more important matters at hand.

"That... that _thing_," she started. "Some sort…of ancient creature…from the Abyss. That was the creature that Xenia was talking to…"

Just mentioning Xenia made tears appear in her eyes, blurring her vision. "Xenia... I'm sorry…so…sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault, Ariane" Bryce told her. "Xenia's plan was foolish. Magic is what makes up Gielinor; the world cannot exist without it. We need it for everything—teleportation, combat, making jewellery, smelting ores, transfiguring bones into food, making staves…runecrafting…"

_Bryce…you're too kind, _she thought, suddenly remembering the way he tried to comfort her after Ellaron's betrayal.

_It wasn't your fault, _he had said. _Ellaron played his part so well, he had the entire Tower fooled. Even I fell for his act. No one could have seem that coming…don't beat yourself up for it. We did what we were set out to do; we saved the Tower, found out why the old Wizards' Tower was burnt down, and witnessed a scene that marked a turning point of wizard history. We succeeded, that is what matters. _

_You're always trying to make me feel less troubled…but Xenia...she..._

* * *

Lying in bed, Ariane read over the letter again, before crumpling it up and throwing it across the room. She knew she'd have to pick it up again later, but she did not care. After everything that happened in the last few weeks, she needed to throw something.

The words of it were still etched in her mind, and she recalled its contents as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

…_unfortunately I must respond with some grave news of my own, _the letter had said. _Ever since Kartis died, my own health has been deteriorating as well. Lately, my illness has been getting worse; my coughing periods are longer and bloodier. I think I am…dying. _

_I must ask you to return to Seers' Village. I need someone to take care of me; you know we have no money left; all of it was spent on your tuition at the Wizards' Tower. I can't afford to buy medicine or see a physician. _

_This is the only way to prolong my life. Please come home…_

She pulled the covers over her head and thought of the worst days of her life, even though she wished to forget it. But the memories always came back, like a puppy that couldn't be shooed away no matter how many times one threw rocks at it.

After the lesser demon Azacorax announced her pledge to Zamorak, several professors came running over, with Wizard Ellaron among them. The way he had looked at her with such a mixture of shock and disappointment made Ariane want to punch herself in the jaw.

Wizard Ellaron told the other professors to leave and they did so. He escorted her to Archmage Sedridor's office, telling her how disappointed he was that she'd bargain with a demon that was aligned with the evil god Zamorak for information concerning the way to control powers. No matter what she said, she couldn't convince him otherwise. Even when she mentioned her vision of the burning tower, he simply told her there were better ways to investigate her vision that didn't involve demons. The walk to Sedridor's office felt like forever, and she dreaded what the headmaster would say. Unfortunately, Azacorax had yelled loudly enough for the entire Wizards' Tower to hear, and that was enough for Sedridor to expel her, although Ellaron convinced him to let her stay three more days to sort her affairs out.

But Ariane did not know what she was supposed to do. Mastering every branch of magic had been her ultimate life goal, but she couldn't see how she could achieve that now that she was expelled, nor could she see how she was to figure out what her vision meant without the help of Ellaron.

Seeing no other alternative, she used a Tower raven to send a letter home to her grandmother telling her of her predicament, only to receive the worst news regarding her grandmother's health. Ariane knew she couldn't go back without facing the tremendous guilt of knowing the money could've gone to buying medicine.

_My grandmother put my needs before hers, _Ariane thought bitterly. _She nearly bankrupt us to pay my tuition, and for what? I've spent years at the Tower and I have nothing to show for it…_

She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Life as she knew it was collapsing and she could do nothing to stop it. Every problem was an impossible herculean obstacle that she could not get past. She felt as if the world was deliberately conspiring against her to make her life miserable. She wanted to break down, but she forced herself to keep a stoic face and suffer in silence. The other students had already resented her for being a seer, and they were overjoyed to hear about her expulsion and mocked her for it. She was determined to not give them any more excuses to taunt her.

On the day she was to leave, she went to Sedridor's office and saw a silver-haired old lady dressed in yellow and purple. Sedridor asked her to quickly state her business and she begged him to change his mind, but he would not. She was forced to leave its magnificent ivory gates, but before she finished crossing Draynor Bridge, she heard her name being called, and the old lady said that upon her request, Archmage Sedridor told her about Ariane's story, which she became rather interested in. When the lady asked her if she had any place to stay, and she said no, the lady then offered her temporary room and board at the Champions' Guild, which Ariane accepted.

_But I can't stay here forever, _she thought. _Sooner or later, I'll have to be off on my own…and then what?_

Xenia had paid for her stay, but Ariane knew that nothing was free. Eventually, she would be expected to earn her keep.

_And what would I do then? _She wondered. _How would I earn money? Who would hire a disgraced former wizard? _

_And what about my vision? How am I supposed to stop it from coming true? Even though they shunned me at the Tower, I still can't leave them to die in a fire…they don't deserve such a fate...I need to save the Tower, but…I don't know where to start...only Wizard Ellaron can help…and I can't see him… _

She felt like she was standing on a windy beach, with a tidal wave of impossible hardships being hurled at her, and she wanted to run; she wanted to shut herself out of the world, away from it all, which she did by spending most of her day in bed, sleeping or trying to make herself sleep, not even stopping to eat, bathe or brush her hair.

She shut her eyes again, and tried to will herself to retreat to the world of dreamless darkness where nothing would bother her, but a knock on the door interrupted her. Ariane did not reply, and a second later, the door opened. Ariane opened her eyes halfway, and saw Xenia coming in

"Still in bed?" she said, maintaining a casual tone. "I thought with all the time you spent here you would have gotten enough sleep by now."

Ariane didn't answer.

"You know you can't stay in bed forever," Xenia said.

Ariane was still silent, and Xenia took that as a cue to continue talking. "Allow me to share some words of wisdom from one mage to another. You learn this as you grow older and wiser. It does not do well to dwell in the past and forget to live the present, for the past is as permanent and irreversible as death, but the present…that can be shaped however you want. Ariane, you will have to move on."

Ariane ignored Xenia, and the adventurer decided to say more. "You know, in the Legends' Guild we have a saying that as adventurers, we must think differently…unconventionally…we must look at things from a different angle...we also say that when two people are doing the same task, it doesn't matter _how_ they get it done, as long as the end result is the same."

Ariane didn't know what that had to do with her, she kept on pretending Xenia wasn't there, and Xenia saw that she would have to say more than that to coax her out of bed.

"Forget about the Tower, Ariane" Xenia told her. "I know Sedridor from my adventures. He's a devout Saradominist. After what happened with you and the demon, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd never let you set foot in the Tower. That doesn't matter; one does not need to be educated at the Wizards' Tower in order to be a great wizard."

That was enough to get a reaction out of her.

"The Tower is the best and most famous institution for studying magic," Ariane said. "Some of their students have created important spells that we take for granted today—the elemental combat spells, the non-combat spells, teleportation…they've also produced famous wizards...like Eritona the Green…but… the Tower is doomed. I saw it happen...I don't know how to stop it."

_When it happens, it'll be my fault.._

"Really?" Xenia said. "What if I told you that you could still learn all kinds of magic without finishing your studies at the Tower?" Xenia said.

"Only those who finish their studies at the Wizards' Tower can move on to the Wizards' Guild," Ariane said. "And the Mage Training Arena…"

Her voice trailed off as she remembered the class trips they took back and forth from Draynor to Al Kharid in her first few years, where they'd train non-combat magic.

"I've already mastered what they taught there," she said.

"I wasn't talking about those places," Xenia said. "What if I told you there's a whole world of magic you'd never even see at the Tower? What if I told you about an island up north where you can learn such magic? What if I told you there's magic like that all over Gielinor which has been hidden for years just waiting to be discovered?"

"What kind of magic?"

Xenia smiled. "Rather than just talk about them, I think it would be much more interesting for me to show you some of the spells I've learnt in my travels; spells you never imagined could exist. But if you're still tired I suppose it can wait another day."

She waited, but Ariane did not move, so she left the room.

Ariane turned in her bed and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't stop wondering about the spells Xenia had picked up. She imagined all kind of possibilities, from summoning lightning in combat to mundane spells that could unlock doors, to spells that could turn the target into a newt. Eventually, it was too much; the curiosity was killing her She got out of bed, and went downstairs from the second floor to the ground floor without bothering to change out of her white cotton nightdress.

Sure enough, Xenia sitting at the dining table, and she smiled when she saw her coming down the stairs. Ariane could see she was putting a pile of runes that had a white star scratched onto them into a leather bag.

"What kind of runes are those?"

"The ones I need to perform my magic," Xenia responded. "But first, do you want some…breakfast? You've hardly eaten ever since you got here."

"No thank you," Ariane said. She didn't have an appetite anymore.

"I'm in the mood for apple pie," Xenia said, as she got up. "Come, you said you wanted to see those spells."

Ariane followed her to the kitchen, where Xenia grabbed a teacup off the shelf on the wall, and placed it on the table, before taking out some runes, including the ones with stars Ariane had never seen before. Xenia casted a spell that caused a grey cloud to appear over the cup and rain, until it was filled and the cloud disappeared.

Ariane's eyes widened in surprise. Xenia was right, in all of her years she's studied magic, she had never seen anything like that, nor did she ever imagine it could even exist.

"That was a humidifying spell," Xenia said. She then started to make a pie, but instead of baking it, she casted another spell, which made a yellow-orange orb materialise over the pie, before it started to shatter into a thousand pieces like broken glass.

"That spell bakes pies without ever burning them," Xenia said. "It takes a while of course, but you will know it's fully baked when the pieces completely disappear."

_Amazing…_

"Follow me," Xenia told her. "I have more to show you…although you might want to put on a cloak before we step outside."

Ariane quickly made her way upstairs, and put on a dark green cloak, and then went back to the ground floor. Xenia then led her out to the side yard, which had several chickens pecking at the ground, except for a quarter of the area that was fenced off. They climbed over the fence, and Xenia examined the herbs that grew there.

"They're diseased?" she said. "I will have to fix that."

Xenia casted another spell, which made a white orb appear over her hands. Light orange lightning bolts shot out of the orb, and zapped the herbs, turning them from a sickly shade of brown to a vibrant green.

Ariane opened her mouth in astonishment.

"That spell cures plants," Xenia said. "I might as well fertilise the soil too."

She casted another spell, turning the ground from a milk chocolate brown into a dark chestnut colour, as if it just had supercompost dumped into it.

"There are more spells like that," Xenia said. "Spells that can cure you from poison, turn logs into planks, tan leather, make molten glass without ever using a furnace, summon a full hunting kit…I can go on.."

She then held out her hand, and showed Ariane the unknown runes. "They all need astral runes, and this…I'm sure must be your first time seeing these."

Ariane was still in awe. She was speechless. For a few seconds she opened her mouth to reply, but she closed it again when she could think of nothing to say.

Xenia decided to fill up the silence with more talk. "I'm not a seer, so I cannot help you with your visions. But I can tell you that you don't need the Tower to seek answers. There are others out there, perhaps you can consult them."

If Ariane was surprised before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. She stared at Xenia with her mouth still open.

"Gypsy Aris is in Varrock, and I'm sure the Oracle of Ice Mountain would be delighted to have a visitor," Xenia said. "Become an adventurer, Ariane. You will gain the opportunity to do much more than what you would've done studying at the Tower…or anywhere else for that matter. Those of us in the Legends' Guild…we always say that the best way to learn something is to learn from experience...which is what you'd get from adventuring. That and some money too…"

Ariane's eyes lit up. For a moment, she tuned Xenia's voice out, and all she could think of was the Wizards' Tower not on fire anymore and stacks of gold coins.

"…And I've already showed you the ways you can sharpen your magical skills," Xenia said, as she kept on speaking. "I learnt them while I was travelling through the Fremennik islands. Perhaps you will do so too. Perhaps you will even master them. Perhaps you will be like Eritona the Green, and make a name for yourself …the possibilities are endless."

She took Ariane's hand, and gave her some astral runes. "And remember what I said…there's more than one way of getting something done…your career as a mage is not over…at the Legends' Guild we also say that when one door closes, another one opens…you will find the strength to get through this…"

Just then, a gust of wind blew across the yard, causing their hair to be blown above their shoulders, as they stood in silence.

* * *

_She and I went way back, _Ariane thought as the memory faded. _When I was down, she picked me up, when life broke me, she put me back together, when I felt dead on the inside, she breathed life into me…she made me realise that my dream wasn't impossible; she gave me hope in my darkest hours…_

She remembered the day Xenia gave her the supplies she'd need to make the perilous journey through Ice Mountain to seek the Oracle.

_She was a mentor to me…especially during the times when I needed her the most…for a while I even…I even thought of her as a second Ellaron…_

But then the image of Xenia falling headfirst into her own portal popped up in her mind, making Ariane feel like tearing her hair out.

_And this is how I repay her? _

But then she thought of Xenia's words before she died; the loss of magic would be an acceptable alternative to total destruction and despite her weakened state, Ariane clenched her fists.

"That's…that's not a price…I'm willing to pay," she said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "Xenia…she left me with no choice…I _had_ to do it…"

_Yes…that's right, _Ariane thought. _I did it to save the world…I _had _to…I _had _to kill her…_

"Thank you, Bryce," she said. "For stopping that thing…and for finding Xenia for me…if we hadn't stopped her...well it doesn't bear thinking about…but it's done now and the world…the world is saved from…Xenia's madness..."

However Ariane still felt very uneasy, the Prehistoric Abyssal's words stuck with her as well. The Elder Gods were heavily implied to be awakening, and soon they'd start eating away at the Anima, which would reduce Gielinor into a lifeless planet.

"Although…the warning that creature gave... perhaps it's too late…"

Her voice trailed off, and her vision faded to black. The last thing she heard was Bryce calling out her name.

* * *

Ariane opened her eyes, and felt rejuvenated as if she had just woken up from a long nap after a hard day of working. Her body no longer ached and her breathing felt normal.

She saw that she was lying in a four-poster mahogany bed gilded with gold, with a white duvet covering her body.

_Where am I? _

She sat up, and noticed that she wasn't in her green and brown combat robes. Instead, she was wearing a light blue, almost white low-cut sleeveless nightdress that was made of silk. She then looked around, and saw just how luxurious the room was. Except for the marble fireplace, all of the furniture was gilded with gold, from the wardrobe, to the dresser, to the clock. Even the rug was threaded with gold.

_What's going on? _

Just then, a very pretty doe-eyed brunette with her hair in an updo, (save for a few strands that were just left at the side of her face), wearing form-fitting black and white maid's uniform walked in.

"Oh…you're awake. I should let Master Bryce know."

_Master Bryce? _Ariane thought_. So this is his place? _

She then walked out, and a short while later, Bryce came into the room. He had changed out of his armour and was now dressed up in his causal gear—a black leather longcoat over a blue shirt and black trousers.

He smiled when she saw her propped up against the white pillows.

"Ariane…I'm glad to see you up," he said..

"You…"

"I healed you," he said. "Or rather the Bunyip did."

"The what?"

"After you collapsed, I teleported here," Bryce explained. "The maid cared for you while I ran off to make a summoning pouch. After I got that, I teleported back here, summoned the bunyip. He used his powers to heal you."

"Oh…thank you," Ariane said. "For healing me."

"It's nothing," Bryce responded. "It's what one comrade should do for another."

"I'm sorry about Kipple," she said, remembering his exploded remains. "It seemed quite attached to you."

"It's no big deal," Bryce said.

_Kipple means nothing to me, _he added silently. _He is just a golem who was given life to serve his master; he was just a slave, nothing more. _

Ariane looked at him. For the first time in months, she took a close look at his face, noticing every bit of his pretty looks, and at the same time, not being allured by them. Until today, she had not seen him ever since their conversation at the Blue Moon Inn after Guthix's death, where she had been absolutely baffled and irritated by his indecision of not supporting the Guthian cause.

She then thought of his letter where he explained his reason to side with Saradomin in the Battle of Lumbridge, so he could stop Zamorak from destroying the town. She could understand his refusal to stay put while the gods destroyed his hometown, but she still hated his decision to follow a god whose name he wouldn't even reveal over Guthix, the most selfless and noble god of all. She had spoken to Holstein in Port Sarim and became very interested in joining the Godless, until Armadyl fought Bandos in the Battle of Asgarnia, where she had been turned off by Kara-Meir's hypocrisy of hating the gods for causing so much destruction to get the Stone of Jas and yet wanting to do the same.

Ariane looked into Bryce's purple eyes, and she felt mixed emotions. On one hand, she was grateful for his generous hospitality, and she was glad he understood just how vital magic was to the world itself. On the other hand, she wished she could make him understand just how vital he was to Guthix's plan for a godless Gielinor; without it, the plan was nothing but an impossible dream. She managed to put her feelings aside to help him track down Xenia, but now that it was over, her feelings wandered back to the day she read Bryce's letter and the day Guthix died.

Hurt, resentment, and frustration wasn't all she felt. Remembering the conversation she had with Xenia in the cave, she was also feeling shocked and overwhelmed, upon hearing what her former mentor had said about the Elder gods.

* * *

"There you are Xenia, nowhere to run now. You will answer for your crimes!"

Xenia did not even flinch when Ariane teleported in beside Bryce. She maintained her stoic expression even as Ariane pointed her staff at her.

"I have every intention of facing justice for what I have done," Xenia said, sounding just as calm as she looked. "But weigh the scales against why I have done it. I am trying to save the world, Ariane! One life, for countless others. A fair trade."

Ariane narrowed her eyes at what she was hearing. "Who are _you_ to decide whose life to save? You don't get to choose who lives and who dies!"

"Of course I do!" Xenia cried, glaring at her. "We all do! On each adventure, you choose who lives and who dies. Every day we make decisions that sentence some to death and others to salvation, whether we know it or not. I thought I taught you that in the beginning. At your whim, lives are cut short. At your mercy, they go on. Don't you _dare_ weigh judgement on me and believe yourself any less guilty of the same crime. The research I took..."

"_Stol_e_!_" Ariane corrected.

"Stole then," Xenia said. "The research was a treatise on the inner mechanics of teleportation. An investigation into crossing the barrier between planes—more importantly, the transfer of matter and energy through them. At first I was able to utilise a very old teleportation spell—one that I knew others would be unable to follow. It took me straight into the Abyss and there I met an ancient creature, with centuries of knowledge. It told me about other worlds that were destroyed by ancient, god-like beings. It wasn't difficult to work out what those beings were. Together we thought of a solution, a way to save this world. The Elder Gods feed on the Anima Mundi, the natural flow of energy in the world. If we were to take that energy and siphon it away, then the Elder gods would never wake up."

Words could not describe her shock. On her adventures, she had seen and heard of some very eye-opening things, but none could top this, not even Guthix's death. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped, and nothing in the cave could move. She thought of Xenia's research, which she had looked up while Bryce and Kipple tracked her down. In Xenia's notes, she had mentioned the Elder gods who shaped Gielinor by manipulating the Anima Mundi, and she even listed them—Bik the nature god, Ful the fire god of the TokHaar, Wen the ice god, Jas the creator of the Stone, and Mah, the god she knew nothing about. She had heard of them before. Although she never knew their specific names, she had a vague memory of learning that the Elder gods created Gielinor.

This shocking revelation would be enough to make her sit down and silently stare at the cave wall until she could form a coherent train of thought in response, if it wasn't for Xenia's extremist, impractical solution, which made her utter the first words that came to her.

"But... but that's madness. The consequences would be..."

"An acceptable loss!" Xenia said. "When compared to the alternative!"

"_No_, Xenia, you can't do that," Ariane said, furrowing her brows which made her look both angry and determined. "If you siphon the Anima Mundi away, you'll be siphoning away magic. Gielinor is built and thrives on magic. So much of the world _needs_ it!"

"A few lives, a few problems...," Xenia said dismissively. "…To save _everyone_ from the greater threat! Of all people, Ariane, I thought you would see the necessity in this!

_Necessity? No…_Ariane thought. _Such a terrible fate could never, _ever _be necessary. _

She remembered her dream to master every branch of magic to become a powerful mage, and she was reminded of all the places she's travelled to that flourished on magic, from the Lunar Isles to the Tower of Life to Taverley, and even the Wizards' Tower, the Wizard's Guild and the Mage Training Arena. If Xenia's plan succeeded…

"No Xenia, I can't allow this," Ariane said. "It's wrong. The world needs magic. We'll find another way."

"There is no other way!" Xenia cried, sounding more shrill than calm this time. "Either we do this or the whole world dies!"

"She's right, Xenia!" Bryce shouted. "It doesn't have to be this way! I _know_ another way to stop it, a way that won't drain the world of its magic! Please, Xenia! Be reasonable! We can't take away magic, it's as vital to the world as breathing is for us! But we _can _stop the Elder gods without resorting to this! Gielinor doesn't have to end like…_that _world…"

"Freneskae," Xenia said. pronouncing the name perfectly after hearing Bryce mention it once when she described the desolate plane just seconds before Ariane teleported it. "It will become another Freneskae unless I do something about it!"

"Gielinor is built on magic!" Bryce protested. "It literally cannot function without it! I know of a better solution!"

"No! You idiots!" Xenia yelled angrily when she realised that neither of them could be convinced. "There _is_ no other way! I've looked, I've studied!"

She scoffed. "Bah! You may be weak, but I am not. I will do this—you will _not_ stop me!"

"No!" Ariane cried. "I can't let you do this Xenia! I'll stop you!...Even if I have to kill you!"

Xenia mouth curled upwards in a smile, as if Ariane had just told a very dark joke. "Come on, Ariane. You are many things, but you're no murderer."

Ariane glanced at the ground, allowing her hair to fall in front of her eyes, hiding them from Xenia's view, even though she herself could see out of them. Xenia turned away from her and Bryce, and she started to open up another portal. Ariane knew she could not be reasonably persuaded to stop, and she knew she couldn't force Xenia to stop; not in a fair fight anyway, so she took the chance to fire a spell while her back was turned. She casted an Air Surge, which summoned three consecutive spheres that combined together and formed a three point throwing star as they flew mid-air towards Xenia.

The element of surprise worked. The Air Surge hit Xenia squarely in the back, making her cough up blood. She turned around and looked at Ariane in the eyes one last time before falling into the portal.

* * *

_I _had _to do it, _Ariane thought. _I couldn't stand by and just watch as she siphoned away magic…no…never…_

_She left me with no choice…I _had_ no choice…I _had _to do it…I was forced to kill her…I had no choice…_

_But…is that really forgivable? I killed my friend and mentor. I had a moment of fury and I just... I struck out, I didn't even hold back…I hit her with a deadly spell and now... she's gone…_

…_But…she wouldn't listen to us no matter how we pleaded; she was single-minded—focused on only one solution, regardless of the consequences. Still…_

…_Did she _really _deserve death? She was foolish…and relentless, but does that really call for death? Was there no other way we could've stopped her? Was there no other way we could have restrained her and made her listen to reason? _

…_But… she was going to leave this world a magic-less husk…_

…_I _had_ no choice._

_Or did I?...now that I look back…couldn't I have knocked her out instead? Couldn't Bryce have forcibly restrained her?_

She thought of the way Xenia looked at her before she fell in, her former mentor's eyes were wide as she realised what Ariane had done, and once again, tears flooded her eyes before they ran down her cheeks.

Bryce hated to see her this way; it almost hurt him just as much as it hurted her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and embrace her. Instead, his chose his next words carefully.

"Don't cry," he said. "If this is about Xenia…you can't blame yourself. Xenia did an extremely stupid thing…you did what you had to do. If you hadn't killed her…we would have been doomed…not from the Elder gods, but from the lack of magic. You're right…Ariane, it's a price too big to pay."

Ariane wiped her tears away, and then looked at Bryce, feeling glad that he never judged her harshly and would always try to comfort her where matters of the heart were concerned.

"You should get some rest," Bryce told her. "Your injuries have healed, but the fight with the Abyssal has strained your body; you need bed rest."

"Did you really know another way to stop the Elder gods?" she asked.

Bryce opened his mouth before he closed it a second later. He opened it again as he answered. "I cannot tell you…I'm sorry…"

"You said Gielinor would not meet the same end as Freneskae," Ariane continued. "Is that a world the Elder gods have already destroyed?"

Bryce said nothing, as a gust of wind came into the room, causing the World Guardian's shoulder-length hair to be blown sideways, hiding his eyes from Ariane.

"Is it?" Ariane asked, getting the hunch that it was, but she wanted to hear him confirm it. There was so much he wasn't telling her, and it pained her to be kept in the dark. It was like their meeting at the Blue Moon Inn all over again. Didn't he know how much it killed her to be locked out of the loop? It was bad enough that he would not tell her about the god he had chosen to follow, who was supposedly better than Guthix, but now that she suspected Bryce knew of a plan to stop the Elder gods from destroying Gielinor when they awaken, she'd spend her time wondering what it was. Didn't he understand how much that would torment her?

"Please…tell me," Ariane said. "You told me you healed me because that's what comrades do for one another…comrades are also supposed to be honest with each other, right?"

"Sorry," Bryce apologised sounding very, very sincere. "I'm sorry."

He then turned around, and walked away, without even bothering to look her in the eyes.

"Get some rest, okay?"

"Why?" Ariane said in a raised voice, as the tears came back. "I thought we were comrades…more than that actually…I thought we were friends…and yet…you…you…"

Her words turned into sobs, but Bryce ignored her, and kept on walking, until he was sure she could longer hear his footsteps. Then, he broke into a run, and he didn't stop until he reached the dining room on the ground floor.

Bryce rang the posh bell-pull, and a while later, his maid walked in.

"Make sure Ariane gets her rest," he ordered. "Give her a cadava potion. I'm sure you can buy some from the druids."

She nodded. "Yes, Master Bryce."

"I need to attend to some unfinished business; she needs to rest until I return."

"Of course, Master Bryce."

Bryce then made his way out of the house, and into the front garden, where he stepped into the portal, and was then transported to the bustling town of Taverley.

* * *

"You have questions."

Zaros appeared in his royal purple robes a few feet away from the Memoriam device (which was surrounded by a sea of square tiles), looking as noble and majestic as ever. Bryce immediately knelt before him, like a knight before his king.

"Arise, World Guardian," Zaros ordered, and Bryce did as he was told.

"My lord, I'm here to report some…grave news," he began. He glanced around the Sanctum of Freneskae as he tried to properly phrase his thoughts, and saw that it had not changed since the last time he was there, with stairs leading down to the valley of tiles, and thin posts next to the stairs and even shorter, thinner posts around the tiles.

"It…concerns the Great Revision…"

He then told the Empty Lord what had happened with Xenia, from her stealing a Tower wizard's research to the fight with the Prehistoric Abyssal.

"I already know of those events," Zaros said. "I spend most of my time in the Shadow Realm after all, watching gods, dragonkin, and mortals alike…until you summoned my here, World Guardian."

"So…is it true?" Bryce asked. "Is it _really _starting?"

Seconds passed before Zaros spoke, although to Bryce, it felt like years. While he waited, Bryce desperately hoped that the Abyssal was wrong, and by a miraculous stroke of luck, the Elders were still too soundly asleep to awake.

"Time is not on our side," Zaros said. "Like the Abyssal said, the Elder gods are _startin_g to awake; they now linger in a dream-like state between sleeping and waking up. They are stirring as of this moment."

"So it's true," Bryce said. "They're…"

His voice trailed off. Bryce could not imagine the world getting its Anima sucked dry and being destroyed in the process. Although he tried his best to picture it, his young, human mind found it very hard to comprehend such a great and terrible event.

_And I'll be powerless to do anything…_he thought. _I'm the fucking World Guardian! Guthix chose me to protect the world…but…but…_

He thought of Ariane being hit by Xenia's magic at the Draynor bridge, and her being knocked out by the Prehistoric Abyssal.

_I can't even protect Ariane!..._

And then he remembered how he watched as Saradomin forcibly took the wand out of his hand with divine magic, and given Sir Owen a zombie arm as he revived him from death.

_If I couldn't stop him…how can I do anything about the Elder gods? They're invincible, and I'm…useless…all I can do is watch…watch as Zaros…_

"How are you going to stop them?" Bryce asked.

"I intend to claim my birthright," Zaros said. "I will become an Elder god and speak on behalf of all mortals when they're fully awake. Azzanadra is searching for the Elder Halls. When he finds them...I will create a great wake of destruction, one that the likes of Gielinor have never seen before. It will force them up."

"Why force them up if they're already waking?" Bryce said. "And…will there be enough time for you to become and Elder god?"

"The sooner we get this done the better," Zaros said. "The sooner they're dealt with, the sooner Gielinor can live in peace, without fear that their world would end."

"How do you become an Elder god anyways?" Bryce questioned. "I mean…Saradomin used the Elder Crown to ascend to godhood, Armadyl and Zamorak used the Staff, and Guthix used the Elder Sword…will you be using an Elder artifact too?"

"Possibly," Zaros said. "Although…I have another… no…she's gone…my other half...No. I doubt…I doubt it…that's not possible…"

"Your other half?" Bryce asked. "Seren…what's she got to do with anything? She's shattered to crystal, how can she be of any use?"

"We will not speak of this anymore, World Guardian" Zaros ordered. "With the Great Revision about to start, you have enough to worry about. I do not wish to trouble you any further."

"As you wish, my lord" Bryce said. "I…I have another question about Mah…will she ever wake up and make her way to Gielinor?"

_Wen, Jas, Bik and Ful all had a mouthpiece, but Mah…naturally she had no mouthpiece, and yet…in that cave in Lumbridge…that statue…_

The idea of a creature as foul as Mah arriving in Lumbridge wreaking havoc, the way Zamorak did when he instigated the Battle of Lumbridge and tried to destroy the city was enough to make Bryce mentally shudder.

"Not likely," Zaros answered. "Not long after we teleported out of the Cradle, she slipped back into a coma. It would appear that she was able to feed off the Anima you gave off, World Guardian. However, she needs a _lot_ of it just to wake up, and even more to reach Gielinor. The longer you stay on Freneskae, the more Anima you emit."

Bryce opened his mouth to reply, but Zaros kept on talking so he did not interrupt.

"Don't worry," Zaros continued. "She won't wake up now; you would have to stay for quite a while to release enough Anima to wake her, as you did when you made me a body. You took _quite _a while to finish off those Nihils."

"I'm sorry, my lord" Bryce said. "I should have killed them off more quickly…but I wasn't able to…I should have been stronger…forgive me."

"Even if she does wake, she would need a constant source of Anima to stay awake," Zaros said. "You cannot provide that if you leave. And even if she had a source and managed to stay awake, she wouldn't have any memories."

Bryce felt relief washing over him. "That's comforting to hear."

"Indeed," Zaros agreed.

"But then…why does she still have a mouthpiece?" Bryce asked.

There was a few seconds of silence before Zaros spoke again. "I wish I could tell you but…there are things about the Elder gods that even I don't know…"

"I see…"

"I won't let Gielinor die," Zaros said, trying to reassure him. "I _will _stop the Great Revision at any cost. The Elder gods may have taken Freneskae but they will never have Gielinor. I will fight them with everything I've got if that is what it would to stop them. The Elder gods are all the same—powerful, but extremely selfish beings who would kill everything and everyone without a second thought. Gielinor deserves better…sentient life should not have to live in such a manner; here today and destroyed tomorrow. When I speak with them, I will show them the error of their ways."

"And if they don't listen?" Bryce said.

"Then I will force them to yield to me," Zaros said. "Like I did with Loarnab."

"I didn't know the Elder gods could be killed," Bryce remarked.

"They can't," Zaros said. "But they can stay in a death-like coma, as Mah is doing. Should they refuse to listen to me, I will force them all into permanent a coma."

A few more seconds of silence passed between them before Bryce asked another question.

"My lord, I want to know…" he began. "Since Azzanadra is looking for the Elder Halls, he ought to know what just happened. I think the mouthpieces could be a clue to where they are…I would like to speak to him. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Right now, he is in the Varrock rune essence mine," Zaros said. "He has been visiting rune essence mines ever since I returned."

"Do you know where he's planning to go next?" Bryce asked.

Zaros shook his head. "I cannot read his thoughts from so far away, although I can tell you he's already visited the ones in Ardougne and Burthorpe."

"I see," Bryce said.

A few seconds later he knelt again, and before Zaros could tell him to get up, he spoke.

"My lord, since you know about me stopping Xenia's attempt to siphon away magic," he started. "Surely you must know that I wasn't the only one who stopped her. My…partner was there as well…and she…she knows what's about to happen with the Great Revision, and she suspects that I know how it will be stopped…although she doesn't know any specific details. As a Zarosian, my duty is to keep my alignment to you a secret, and that goes of course for your plans…but…I want to tell her about your plan to stop it…and I…"

"You wanted my permission?" Zaros asked, finishing his sentence.

"Yes, my lord."

_She's already upset with me for not even revealing Zaros' name, _he thought. _She's even more upset, now that she's sure I know a better way of stopping the Great Revision, but doesn't know why I'm keeping it a secret...I don't want to make it worse…_

"Show me your memories of her," Zaros said. "Let me enter your mind. I must decide if she's worthy of knowing, and I must rely on your memories."

"My lord?" Bryce responded, knowing that if he did give permission, Zaros would know about the way he felt about her.

"I cannot give you an answer until I've assessed her," Zaros said bluntly. "And I cannot do that until you let me in."

"Okay then."

Zaros entered him, as he had when he was an incorporeal purple orb and once again, the Empty Lord saw himself in a pure white empty space, with Bryce standing directly across from him.

"Now recall your memories," Zaros ordered, and Bryce did so.

Several images on paper thin square boxes, popped up in the air. The images started to move at a very fast pace, Zaros was easily able to figure out what was going on happening, even though the pictures were moving at the same time, with each of them serving as a memory Bryce had of Ariane. He saw the time he helped Ariane save the Wizards' Tower, the time she and him defeated the troll Magic Stick when Burthorpe and Taverley were under attack, the times they met with Ozan, Sir Owen and Xenia at the Legends' Guild once a month to catch up on each other's adventures, the time he and Ariane visited the Varrock museum and she read his name off the stone tablet on display, the time they had a falling out after Guthix's death…all the way until today. He also noticed the way he smiled when he saw her, the way his mind seemed to relax whem he saw her, the loved her red hair and wanted to run his fingers through it, the way he'd sometimes think of her when he had the time to write in his notebook, the way he thought of her as his Queen of Love and Beauty, and the way he altried tried to comfort her when she was distressed.

When the memories finished playing, Zaros pulled out of Bryce's mind, and found they both found themselves back in the Sanctum.

"How curious," Zaros mused. "The connection you feel towards this girl...it reminds me of the one I had with my companion."

"Well, my lord?" Bryce asked. "Will you give me permission?"

Zaros said nothing as a gust of wind blew across the room, causing Bryce's longcoat and pale blond hair and Zaros' robes to be blown sideways, and in the silence, Bryce Stanton held his breath, hoping that Zaros would allow it.

**Yeah, I know. I changed a lot of stuff. Like the fight with the Prehistoric Abyssal. In the game, Abyssal anchors (that looked just like the magenta coloured metal springs I described if I recall correctly) just spawned in the room for no reason and you had to destroy them to kill the Abyssal, I tried my best to come up with a good in-story reason for them to appear, and I tried to give a good reason for the Abyssal to start attacking the World Guardian and Ariane other than "we need a boss fight at the end."  
**

**I also tried to expand on Ariane's backstory and how she met Xenia. I also made the Abyssal say that the ELders are rising before Ariane gets knocked out, instead of following the game, which he says it just before he dies, while Ariane _is_ knocked out, because her dialogue after tou kill the Abyssal implies that she heard what the beast said while she was unconscious, which doesn't make a lot of sense and is really just a minor continuity error. I also made the World Guardian refer to Zaros when he says he knows of a better way to stop the Great Revision, he doesn't do this in-game, he just stays silent while Xenia and Ariane argue which is a bit odd, if you've done Fate of the Gods. He also mentions Frenesake when Xenia talks about another world the Elder gods destroyed, in-game he stays silent as if he knows nothing about it, again another continuity error for those of us who did Fate of the Gods. **

**I hope I got Zaros' character right. Him mentioning Mah going back into a coma is once again, gameplay and storyline segregation. If Mah was still awake, it wouldn't make sense for the World Guardian to go back to Frenesake in a story unless he's suicidal, and Zaros wouldn't answer his questions there either. Zaros mentioning Azzanadra checking out rune essence mines is a reference to a fan theory I saw floating around the Runescape Lore Discussion forums, where somebody thought they were in some way connected to the Elder Halls. Him mentioning that he'd fight the Elder gods is a reference to another theory I've seen. And the line about "the World Guardian's feelings for Ariane reminding him of his own feelings for Seren" is a reference to a Jmod quote about how Zaros and Seren are "borderline Lannister," which is another way of saying "their relationship may/may not be incestuous." **

**On another note, the fact that Ariane used a raven to send a letter is a form of gameplay and storyline segregation working its way into the story since Gielinor doesn't have a proper postal system (no, I will not include Postie Pete, he's more suited to a more comedic kind of story), so they use birds to deliver letters. The kind of birds they use depends on the area. If you're in the Fremennik provicnes, you'd use something like say...a snowy owl, but if you're in the desert, you're going to use a steppe eagle. I noticed there are a lot of ravens in Draynor, and since teh WIzards' Tower is just south of Draynor; very close to it, it wouldn't be implausible for them to use ravens. **

**More gamplay and storyline segregation include Ariane not being instantly better after the World Guardian kills the Abyssal, In-game, she just gets up as if she's never been knocked out. Here, it takes more than that for her to recover. **

**As usual, a link to my World Guardian's profile is available on my profile. **


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations From the Heart

**(Author's Note: Finally it's here. Sorry about the wait. Previously in this story: after the Heart of Stone quest (which takes place after Fate of the Gods but before Dishonour Amongst Thieves), Ariane is upset at having to kill her mentor Xenia to stop her from robbing Gielinor of magic, and Bryce is also not too pleased at what Xenia tried to do and that the Elder Gods are starting to awake before Azzanadra finds the Elder Halls (yes, I know Bryce finds the mouthpieces, but that's not the same), and he also decides to report what just happened, because Zaros of all people should know what the Elder Gods are up to. **

**Just like with the previous two stories, gameplay and storyline segregation applies. Things that don't translate well from a video game medium to a literary medium will be changed. And one of those things is the ending to the Desert Treasure quest, where you learn the Ancient Spells by just touching the altar inside the pyramid Azzanadra was trapped in, that works perfectly well in a game, but not so much in literature, so I changed it. Now, he's actually trained by Azzanadra. And Ariane doesn't just get up and walk off her injuries after the Prehistoric Abyssal knocks her out, here, she actually had to get her injuries looked at and she wasn't healed by eating 28 whole sharks).**

"I shall permit it."

Bryce's eyes widened, and his lips parted. No sound came out, but they curved upwards. The Sanctum was silent as a crypt for a few seconds before either of them spoke again.

"Thank you, my lord," Bryce said. "Thank you so much."

"With your memories, I was able to get a glimpse into her character," Zaros said, ignoring the World Guardian's gratitude. "However, my analysis is still incomplete. Your memories are not enough to show me her true nature; they only show me how she acts around you. I don't know if her thoughts are as noble as her actions."

Bryce's smile faltered.

"What are you saying my lord?" he asked. "Please, I know she can be trusted. I've known her for years, and I can promise you she would never betray our cause."

"I thought the same about Zamorak once," Zaros said. "I thought I knew him; I thought I could trust him. You know how well that turned out."

Bryce bit his lip and gazed at the floor. If anyone else had suggested that Ariane would be a traitor like Zamorak, he would have given them a murderous glare before telling them to shut up and that they were stupid, that he knew Ariane for years and understood her better than they could ever hope for and that they knew nothing. Of course. he could never act in such a way in front of Zaros, so he kept silent.

_But I know Ariane is good and loyal, _he thought. _I swear it on the graves of my parents. She'd _never_ betray us… never…_

"Forgive me, my lord," he began, averting his gaze from the floor and gazing deeply into all eight of Zaro's glowing eyes, hoping to find some a sign of approval or anything else that would allow him to get a grip on what the Empty Lord could be thinking about. But he got none of those things. Instead, what he received was the feeling of staring into several pools of deep water—no matter how long he stared, he would never figure out the secrets that lay beneath the surface.

"But I don't think she's anything like the Usurper."

"No?"

"No," Bryce repeated. "She'll be every bit as trustworthy as—

"World Guardian, you sound like a fool," Zaros interrupted. "Do you hear yourself? You are the one gifted by Guthix with the power to resist divine magic and yet you sound as naïve as a child; you speak as if your mind _truly _cannot comprehend the very idea of one hiding an unscrupulous agenda under a noble façade, and yet you know such people exist. You are one of them, Bryce."

Bryce's eyes widened in surprise. "My lord? I…I never…"

Zaros continued to speak. "You've done some dishonourable things; you wanted to wipe out all the goblins from Gielinor as Saradomin and Zamorak once exterminated my followers, you wanted to start with Zanik's head on a spike, you suggested to your Duke to drown Dorgesh-Kaan, you decided to side with Hazeel and kill Lady Carnillean's infant son, you invaded Etceteria and took its Queen as a spoil of war and the moment your army stepped foot into Miscellania, you had her stripped of all her clothing, bounded in chains, and you made her walk back to the castle wearing nothing but those chains, you kept her in a dungeon and trained her to be the perfect Queen for your King, you cut away piece after piece of her identity until there was nothing left, then you rebuilt her in the King's image. You're not perfect Bryce; surely you are aware of that. You've taken life when you could have spared it. But around her, you act like you've never done such things. I've seen your memories, World Guardian. You certainly don't deny what you have done, not in your mind, although you do hide them from her. When you tell her of your adventures, you put on a mask of heroism and courtesy, you omit things that don't out you in a favoured light or you twist them into tiny lies too subtle to be disproven."

Bryce gazed at the floor again. _He's right as always…I do put on a very charming mask of sweetness and light around Ariane...but underneath the mask is a side of me I never want her to see, because she'd hated me for sure…she'll never want to see or speak to me again…and then what? I'd be devastated. _

His mind recalled the first time he met her in Draynor, where she surprised him with her kindness when he commented on her urgent need to save the Wizards' Tower.

_You must really care about the people there, _he had said. _To go thrugh such lengths to save them. They must be very precious to you._

_You have it wrong, _she responded. _While the Tower means very much to me, the people inside mean nothing, aside from Wizard Ellaron. Only he understood, only he helped me hone my powers, only he was ever good to me. Everyone else acted as if I had the plague. But still…I will not leave them to burn. I don't like them, but they deserve better than that. _

_She was as kind as she was beautiful, _Bryce thought. _She had a pure heart. It's rare to see that in a world as cruel as our own...and I love her for it. But…_

_…But someone like her would not understand all those things I _had _to do; all those things I was forced to do…if she knew…she'd hate me for sure. _

He remembered the time he, Ozan and Sir Owen met at the Legend's Guild to catch up on their adventurers, and how uneasy Ariane had been when Sir Owen told them of the time he defied Sir Amik's foolish plan to attack a Kinshra base and snuck in by himself.

_She had a hard time comprehending Sir Owen's philosophy that we must sometimes do unpleasant things for the sake of the greater good. If she was only troubled at what Sir Owen was willing to do, how would she react if I told her what I'd done?_

* * *

"…The guards had no idea anyone was behind them," Sir Owen said. "But I knew I could take no risks, so I fired my crossbow and I placed the crossbow bolts in the middle of their brains."

He paused for a second. "They died instantly; they probably didn't even feel pain."

Ariane looked uncomfortable. "You could've knocked them out instead."

Sir Owen poured himself a goblet of wine. "Perhaps, but it would've been too much of a risk. If they woke up, they'd raise the alarm. Giving them a chance to fight back wouldn't have helped anyone. Those guards _had_ to die for me to get to my objective."

"And that is?" Ozan asked.

"To rescue a comrade," Sir Owen said. "He was captured by the Kinshra. They were planning to interrogate him. Even the strongest of men could wither when they're tortured by the Kinshra. I had to stop that."

Bryce took a gulp of wine, and as he brought his goblet to his lips, he snuck a glance at Ariane and noticed a beat of sweat running down her face.

"Yes," Ariane said in a quiet voice. "But…"

"Believe me, Ariane, I don't kill out of enjoyment," Sir Owen explained. "I do so out of duty. Saradomin wants me to purge evil from this land and destroy the influences of Zamorak. I will use any method to serve him. If that means I use unsporting tactics, then so be it. Succeeding in the mission is more important than obeying arbitrary rules."

He took a gulp of wine, and Bryce did so too, but when he lifted his goblet to his face, he took the chance to sneak another quick glance at Ariane, and saw her staring at Sir Owen. She opened her mouth, but closed it a second later, and shook her head.

After all the time he spent in King Vargas' court, Bryce could read expressions rather well, and he could use other people's feelings to win an argument or advance his goals. He knew it was similar to the expression she'd wear if he told her about some of his more unsavoury actions, except it was less severe.

"I believe you Sir Owen," Bryce said, hoping he could do some damage control. "No man who enjoys killing would kill those guards so quickly and so mercifully without pain. You do duty, yet you still strive to cause as little suffering as possible. That is admirable."

Sir Owen smiled, but Ariane did not; she still looked tense. Bryce took another gulp, and he refilled the goblet. _Looks like my words had no effect, she still doesn't understand...she certainly won't like what I've done. In the worst case scenario, she'd hate me forever. _

_No. I can't have that. I can't lose her, I…I…love her too much._

He then made a silent promise to himself as he drank—that he would never let Ariane look at him the way she looked at Sir Owen.

_I'll be what she wants to see, _he thought. _I'll be good. I'll be the hero she wants. And she won't hate me. And I won't lose her. _

"I'm sure this comes as no surprise," Ozan said. "But I had an exciting adventure too. I don't believe I told you about the time I saved Bryce from the lair of the fire spiders."

"I believe I was knocked out the entire time," Bryce said. "As I have no memory of this event."

Ozan smiled as if he had told a joke, before telling them of the time he and Bryce set out to recover three gems so beautifully cut and crafted even dwarves would look upon them with awe when Bryce was knocked unconscious by a incoming attack and Ozan had to fight what appeared to be an army of a hundred thousands spiders while looking after Bryce's body.

Bryce smiled and nodded as Ozan recounted his story. He occasionally glanced at Ariane and could see she smiled too, a lot more often than she did during Sir Owen's tale.

* * *

He looked up and his gaze fell into Zaros' eyes again. "You're right. I'm sorry, my lord."

_I just couldn't bear to think of her hiding a darker aspect underneath such a kind surface. _

"Apologies are not necessary," Zaros said "But do you see now?"

"Yes, my lord," Bryce answered. "How will you make sure she won't turn her back on our cause?"

"You will bring her to the Sanctum," Zaros responded. "Either before or after telling her of me, but do not let her out of your sight if you decide on before. The moment she arrives, I will begin a ritual. She will swear a blood oath to me and be bound by it until her last breath. From then on, she will never be able to speak of me or my plans to those who do not associate themselves with me or do anything to hinder my plans."

"A blood oath," Bryce repeated. "My lord, if I may ask, would the ritual…hurt her?"

"Not much," Zaros replied. "But without it, I must forbid you from telling her anything. If I cannot assure her loyalty, I cannot take any chances."

"I understand, my lord" Bryce said, and he smiled, as he thought of how Ariane would react once he tells her he'll start being honest. _I think she'll like that. She was in tears when I said I had to keep her in the dark. I…I don't ever want to see that again._ "Thank you, my lord. This means so much to me."

Once again, the Empty Lord was unfazed by the acknowledgement of gratitude. "It means a lot to me too. Having a seer with me will prove to be useful. Now, will that be all, World Guardian? Or is there anything else you wish to ask of me?"

"There is my lord," Bryce answered. "You say Azzanadra is at the rune essence mine in Varrock, and you have no idea where he plans to go next. I'd teleport to Varrock myself and run to Aubury's shop, but I'm afraid we could miss each other. With such urgent message to deliver, I can't afford that, so I thought…maybe you can transport me to the Shadow Realm and take me to the rune mine, as Sliske did when he made me see how the Wilderness Sword glowed when I triggered the alarm in Guthix's cave."

Zaros paused for a second before he responded. "Very well."

And before the World Guardian could say anything else, he could see out of the corner of his eyes that the Sanctum was changing, the purple posts, purple stairs, and black and orange and blue tiles were getting duller and duller, as if their colour was being drained away.

Zaros waved his hand in a circular motion, causing their surroundings to smudge, until all Bryce could see around him were blobs of muted colour moving like oil drops in water, until they reformed into a familiar, albeit drab setting, with a spiralled wooden scaffolding built around a mountainous swirl of pure essence at the center of what appeared to be a cavern that had dead trees and broken ladders in its corners over very rocky ground, and a redheaded man dressed in a maroon jerkin and matching doublet over tan trousers and a maroon feathered hat standing right in front of them. He was studying the pure essence and writing in a leather-bound book with a piece of charcoal.

"Here we are, World Guardian. Until the next time we speak. _Pax tecum,_ " Zaros said, as he waved again, and gave the world its colour back.

"Azzanadra."

The man in maroon gasped, and turned around. Despite his astonishment, he was still pleased to see a friendly face. "Bryce! What are you doing here?"

The World Guardian took a deep breath, and told him everything that happened, from running into Xenia and Ariane at the Wizards' Tower to chasing her down, to the battle with the Prehistoric Abyssal, to reporting everything to Zaros. The only thing he left out was Zaros granting his request to tell Ariane the truth. As he talked, Azzanadra took notes in his book.

"They could already be waking up because of her actions?" he said, as he finished writing his last words and closed the book. "So time is no longer an ally. We must redouble our efforts then."

"We must hurry," Bryce agreed. "Or we'll be as dead as Freneskae."

_I'll have to work faster, harder…_Azzanadra thought.

"How are you doing?" Bryce asked, hoping to hear some good news.

_Not well, _Azzanadra replied silently. _I previously theorised rune essence mines could be connected to the Elder Halls in some way. They certainly resemble them, minus Mah's place, but that made sense. Mah never arrived in Gielinor, and yet…_

_According to Bryce, all four Elder Gods have a mouthpiece. They're clearly worth investigating, but the chamber in Lumbridge…it's so unsettling. I can't think of one reason to explain why it exists. It couldn't have been for Mah, she was never here. _

_What else could it have been for? Did her sisters think she'd eventually come here? Or…could it have been for someone else? Another Elder God, however implausible that sounds? _

Azzanadra forced his speculations aside, knowing he could dwell on them all day. He decided to focus on the topic at hand.

He gritted his teeth. Despite never meeting her, he had the urge to give Xenia, or even just her corpse a jaw breaking punch to the face.

"Stupid, arrogant woman," Azzanadra said. _Damn her! As if my mission isn't already hard enough. _"To take an action that has endangered everyone, for some misguided sense of the greater good."

"She was beyond reason," Bryce added. "I could genuinely see it in her eyes, she was convinced she was doing the world a favour."

Azzanadra sighed. "I've seen that back in the days of the Empire. We had an asylum in Senntisten for those who went insane. You can never reason with the insane, Bryce, no matter how hard you try. You did all you could."

"You're right," Bryce said. _But…_

"I wish I could've told her there was a better way," he confessed. "I wish I could've told her about Zaros' plan. Maybe if she knew, it could've been different."

Azzanadra sighed again. "I wish that too. I wish we still lived in the age of the Empire, I wish we lived in a time and place where we can speak of Zaros. Perhaps had that been the case, she would not have tried something so erratic. But what's done is done, and it does not do well to dwell on what could have been."

He smiled. "Even though her actions may have already set in motion a chain of events that would lead to catastrophe, I'm glad she was killed before she could really do anything that could undo our hard work…we do not have much time, but I have faith that my lord, Zaros, will be able to overcome her recklessness."

Bryce smiled back. "Me too. Zaros is our only hope of stopping the Great Revision, we must all place our trust in him."

Azzanadra nodded, and then paused for a second before he continued. "You speak like a true Zarosian."

"I am a true Zarosian," Bryce corrected.

"Of course," Azzanadra said. "It's just surprising to see someone have so much faith in Zaros, even though you grew up in a time where so few people have even heard of him. You never cease to amaze me, Bryce. Never in all of my existence would I have ever thought Zaros could ever be banished from this world. Nor did I ever think I could be captured and sealed in that stupid pyramid, or be saved by a mere human adventurer, or make contact with Zaros again, or see him return to his former glory. Heroes like you are only born once every millennium. Sometimes I look at you and I have a hard time believing you're real."

Bryce's eyes widened and a blush crept up his cheeks. After all, it was not everyday that a human, even the World Guardian received praise from Zaros' champion.

"You're too kind, Azzanadra."

"I speak only the truth," the former Pontifex Maximus said.

"You amaze me too," Bryce confessed. "You've fruitlessly tried to defend the Empire, you've been sealed in a pyramid and gone mad from the isolation, you've been released as a shell of your former self. You even risked death to serve Zaros, the other Mahjarrat wanted to free you and kill you…but even in the face of death and madness and despair you've remained faithful to Zaros. You've inspired loyalty in me…and you still do."

"And I hope I will continue to do so in the future," Azzanadra said. "Zaros needs all the followers he can get."

Bryce nodded, as Azzanadra opened his notebook again. The Mahjarrat flipped through the pages, and skimmed through his newest entry, his eyes flickering back and forth.

He thought of the Bandit Camp in the Kharidian desert and their songs about how Zamorak and Saradomin had the citizens of Senntisten crucified then impaled when there wasn't enough wood to go around when their forces conquered the city, Char in her cave, Nex in her icy prison, Wahisietel who was forced to live under a human alias in secret, and Athanakos who had only recently been freed from Enakhra's temple. He then thought of the vast armies of Saradomin and Zamorak, and even what was left of Armadyl and Bandos' followers. _Any fool can see we can't afford any losses. If any of us dies, who know how far we'd be set back? _

"In the meantime, I'll investigate these Kra," Azzanadra said.

"And I'll be inspired by your example," Bryce added.

Azzanadra smiled at the banter. "Perhaps I'll get a lead. Bryce, can you tell me again where you found them? I want to make sure I got everything right."

"FulKra was found under the Karamjan volcano," Bryce responded.

"Yes, that makes sense," Azzanadra commented. "My research indicates that Ful was closeleyaffiliated with with the early Tzhaar."

"BikKra was found under Entrana," Bryce continued.

Azzanadra scoffed softly. "No accounting for taste, still I imagine those detestable monks came later."

"WenKra was found under White Wolf Mountain," Bryce said.

"Go on."

"And JasKra was found in the Kharidian Desert, east of Sophanem," Bryce concluded.

Azzanadra snapped his notebook shut. "It appears that everything is in order. I must leave now. I'll write to you if I discover anything."

Without another word, he summoned what appeared to be translucent purple bricks which appeared all around him on all four sides, like the base of a hut. The bricks kept stacking on top of each other until they formed walls that were just three inches taller than Azzanadra's human self, along with a ceiling that touched the tips of all four walls. A second later, they grew more and more transparent until they disappeared entirely and took Azzanadra with them.

* * *

By the time he returned to Taverley, the sky was a darker shade of blue than it had been before, and the clouds were streaked with light shades of pink and purple, except for the ones that were closer to the western sun, they seemed to be blazing with orange to yellow light. Bryce made his way north, past the Pick and Lute Pub, and into the purple house portal which sent him to the central garden. He opened the mahogany double doors, and the first thing he saw was his maid sweeping the floor of the parlour.

She gave him a quick smile. "Welcome home, Master Bryce."

"How's Ariane?"

"Still asleep, Master Bryce" the maid answered. "The cadava potion is still in effect."

Bryce pressed his mouth into a line, before opening it a second later. "Bring me some wine."

The maid did as she was instructed, and returned with a full flagon and a gilded goblet shortly afterwards.

"That will be all," he told her. "I can pour my own wine."

The maid continued sweeping, and Bryce decided to kill some time while he waited for Ariane to come around. He went to the bookshelf and took out a book he hadn't read in a long while—a history of his family. He sat down on an armchair, poured himself a goblet of wine, and drank as he read.

He started on the beginning, with Camorra and how she tracked down and slew Garak, a large black dragon that terrorised Varrockian settlements near the Wilderness. From there, he read about her sons and their sons and their sons, until he got to Lord Kiran Stanton, who was an adviser to the king. He went further on, reading about Lord Kiran's sons and their sons, until he got to Sir Jayse Stanton, a knight who won many battles for the king, and even protected the princess, whom he thought of as his Queen of Love and Beauty according to the poems he wrote in his journal. He even gave her the title and crowned her with a garland of roses after winning a tourney, but he eventually married Lady Larra Kayne, and the princess went on to marry another noble.

Sir Jayse reminded Bryce so much of himself, he became uncomfortable. He closed the book, refilled his goblet and took a gulp of wine. _I wonder if I would share Sir Jayse's fate. He loved Princess Celia, but he was too lowborn for her. All he could do was watch her from afar, while they both married someone else._

He thought of the time he wed Princess Astrid, despite neither of them loving the one they had been betrothed to. _Must I go through that again? _

Bryce took another gulp, to dull the bitter memories of the unhappy marriage. _I am not Sir Jayse, I don't want to love from afar, I want to be able to hold her, touch her, kiss her at my whim. I…_

He finished the goblet and refilled it again. _I… love her, not happily from afar, as Sir Jayse loved Princess Celia, but the way Dororan loved Gudrun. But…does she love me?...Or anyone else for that matter? _

He remembered the times they talked at the Legends' Guild and the times he met her while he was adventuring. _Come to think of it…she seemed to be more interested in magic than anything else. But then again…my love for her isn't obvious. After all, I never showed her any implications of how I feel, not while she was awake…_

His mind flashed back to him gently running his fingers through her hair just this afternoon, right after he dismissed the Bunyip familiar that healed her injuries. He loved her hair. It was such a lovely colour, and he always wondered what it'd be like to run his fingers through it. Bryce had then decided to take advantage of the situation and declare out loud she was still his Queen of Love and Beauty as he imagined with a garland of blue roses in her scarlet hair before reaching out and placing a hand on her cheek, feeling the softness of her creamy skin and remembering the tears that had rolled down her face when she thought of killing Xenia to preserve magic and how he wanted to comfort her with more than just words. And then he bent down, and kissed her on the cheek, as if he was kissing the tears away hours after it had been shed. From there on, he began to trail kisses down her face, right where the tears had trailed, until he got close to her mouth, where he gave her a tender kiss on the lips.

_I like to think she would've enjoyed that, _Bryce thought with a smile, as he put down the goblet and got up. He made his way out to the menagerie, where the animal keeper gave him a report of how the penguin needed an even cooler habitat and how the growing baby troll needed a larger paddock. Bryce made a mental note to upgrade their living area as he strolled through the menagerie. He then returned indoors, where he checked on Ariane again. When he saw that she had not yet woken up, he went pack to the parlour, and managed to finish his book, for the walk allowed him to clear his mind. He started on another one, this time a book on the history of the Zarosian Empire that Azzanadra had given to him as a gift, and he read until he got too hungry to concentrate.

Bryce ordered his maid to check up on Ariane, who reported that she was still asleep.

"Keep an eye on her," he told his maid. "Alert me when she wakes up."

He went to the dining room where a plate of chicken wingettes and salad along with a goblet of wine waited for him. As he ate, he waited for the footsteps of his maid to approach and give her the news that Ariane had woken up, but they never came, so when he was done, went back to reading. Every once in a while, he'd listen for footsteps, but just like at dinnertime, they never came. It was rather late when he finished the book, and Bryce decided he'd have to tell her tomorrow. He walked to the bathroom, and he was just finishing up on his bath when he heard a knock on the door.

"She's awake, Master Bryce" his maid said.

Bryce quickly dried himself with a towel, before putting on the leather pants he had worn earlier during the day. As he made his way to the bedroom, he quickly decided how he would tell her and what he would say.

* * *

Sitting up against her pillow with her arms crossed against her chest, Ariane waited for him. She wanted answers and a confrontation with Bryce too. On top of not supporting Guthix's last wish and not telling her why, not telling her anything about a possible second way to stop the Elder Gods, he had instructed his maid to give her cadava potion that would knock her out for hours. The maid insisted she take it, and when she refused, she kept on telling her that Bryce had given her orders to rest, before forcing the potion down her throat. Ariane tried to resist, for the maid had been strong for her size.

She then thought of how kind and understanding he had been. He had sided with her against Xenia before he even knew what was happening, he consoled her with his words when she was forced to kill Xenia, he brought her home and healed her with his Bunyip familiar, but it only made her sadder that someone as good as Bryce was causing her misery.

Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Ariane's eyes widened when she got the sight of Bryce in his trousers with his muscled abdomen exposed and the tips of his pale blond hair still wet from a bath. Just like before, she was not distracted at all by his looks, and she gave him the coldest stare she could muster.

Bryce closed the door again, and opened his mouth but she interrupted him.

"Why?" she asked, sounding as hurt as she felt. "Why torment me even further, Bryce? Why keep me in the dark and drug me?"

"Forgive me, Ariane" Bryce replied apologetically. "I wanted to be honest with you. I swear on my life I really did, but I made a promise to keep it all a secret. I couldn't break a promise, but I realised you were right. We're more than just friends and we should be honest with each other; I couldn't keep you in the dark, so I tried to get special permission to tell you."

Ariane's gaze softened. "Why drug me then?"

"You were upset," Bryce said. "There's no way you would've stayed here; you would've left moments after I did, and should I receive permission to tell you anything it would've been a hassle to track you down."

Ariane was mildly surprised at how good he was at predicting her moves. "Why didn't you just say you were asking for permission?"

"That would raise too much questions," Bryce answered. "Should permission be denied, I thought the less you knew the better."

Ariane opened her mouth, and Bryce knew she was about to ask why that was so. Luckily for him, he also knew the perfect way to distract her from that.

"He said yes."

"Who did?"

"The god I serve," Bryce said. "But before I tell you about him, I must ask you this. Do you remember the day we went to the Varrock Museum, and I showed you the ancient tablet I found? You read the museum's translation of the Infernal words written on the table—'tremble mortal, before the altar of our dread lord Zaros.' You asked me what it meant but I didn't know."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" _Unless…_

She gasped as the realisation dawned on her. "You serve Zaros?"

Bryce nodded.

"But…_how_?" Ariane asked. "We both hunted for information about Zaros, but I found nothing. Did you…"

"Find something?" Bryce finished for her. "Yes. And I'm truly sorry for keeping it a secret. I can promise you that it wasn't because I wanted to, Ariane. I…I suppose I should start from the beginning…"

Bryce told her of his assignment to find desert artefacts for the museum. He managed to arrange a meeting with Asgarnia Smith, an associate of the Varrock Museum, who tried to persuade him into finding treasure instead, and he accepted. His search led him across the world, from the desert Bandit Camp to Morytania to the icy north near the Trollweiss Mountains to Pollnivneach to the western lands near Baxtorian Falls to the Jaldraocht Pyramid where he was able to free Azzanadra, who seemed to have gone mad after being sealed in an immobile but conscious state.

He then told her of helping a mysterious hooded monk steal an ancient relic from Entrana. When he was finished, he told her of meeting Ali the Wise who thanked him for releasing a close friend from capture. Upon seeing his confused expression, Ali explained he was to meet his friend at the Blue Moon Inn and paid him a huge amount in gold for Bryce to go in his place. Bryce did so, and met Dr. Nabanik who ushered him into a room he booked, where he revealed his true form as Azzanadra, a Mahjarrat and thanked him for rescuing him, before asking him for another favour, and in return he would be given something that could never be bought, not even with all the gold in Gielinor. Bryce complied, and he was tasked with retrieving two items that would help Azzanadra restore an old, abandoned temple. The task took Bryce to Morytania and atop the Frozen Waste plateau, he retrieved both items—the Frostenhorn and the Barrows icon and he returned them to Azzanadra. Along with the Entrana relic, Azzanadra was able to make contact with Zaros and make plans with him, before giving Bryce access to the Ancient Curses.

"…Naturally, I was curious," Bryce continued. "So I asked him about Zaros, and he told me Zaros once ruled over the greatest empire the world would ever see. It stretched from the Wilderness to perhaps even Al-Kharid. He was a god and a king, and he was a good king. He ruled with wisdom and justice; he was merciful to those that bent the knee, and he punished those that rebelled, he knew that ruling meant considering the needs of his people above his own, he was never corrupted by power, he gave the Empire countless years of peace and prosperity, so much that Azzanadra said the architects of Senntisten, their capital city, made great halls and towers larger and grander than anything you'd see today, Zaros' own palace even made the Varrock palace look like a wooden shack, their farmers had ways, now lost to us forever, of yielding so much crops they could feed a city of millions without relying on imports, their builders made roads that were not made of dirt, and their mages…their mages invented and mastered spells that could cripple an entire army of knights."

"Wow," breathed Ariane, wondering what sort of magic they had and if it was any better than what the Moon Clan could do. _It certainly sounds amazing. But…could it _really_ be true? Can a god be so noble? So selfless? _

"But there had to have been a catch," Ariane said. "Right?"

"Gods don't have to be tyrants," Bryce responded, as if he read her mind. "You know Guthix's philosophy very well, and surely you've heard of Armadyl, he was willing to make peace with mortals, he even told me so when I fought for him against Bandos. Zaros is just like them; like Armadyl, he wants peace, and like Guthix, he wanted mortals to inherit the world."

"But he was a king as well as a god," Ariane said, surprised. "How can a king not want to rule?"

"Let me explain," Bryce said. "The golden age came to an end when Zamorak decided to betray Zaros. He was the strongest of Zaros' generals; he had great prestige and power, but he was still not satisfied. He was envious of Zaros; he wanted everything Zaros had. Zamorak stabbed Zaros in the back, and Zaros had to become incorporeal to escape death. Zamorak gained so much power, he ascended to godhood. And with Zaros gone, he and Saradomin fought over the remains of the Empire. Knowledge was lost and innocent blood was shed, and some of the treasonous servants of Zaros joined Zamorak. Together, they wiped all memories of the Empire, burning books and killing faithful followers. They crucified them all, in the end, they didn't have much wood left, so they impaled the rest on roughly sharpened wooden spikes. It took several days for the spike to go up their arsehole and out their mouth. Their bodies were all left to make an example out of them for following the wrong god. As their corpses rotted, crows pecked their eyes out, flies nested in their flesh, maggots hatched in their flesh too, beetles ate their flesh along with the flies and maggots, until there was nothing left but bones. "

Ariane pictured a pile of spellbooks being burnt by an army of mad fanatics, and then she saw a forest of crucified and impaled corpses, all in varying stages of decay, with maggots and beetles crawling in their bodies and flies buzzing around and birds pecking at their flesh. She shivered.

"How awful."

_Exterminating everyone for following the wrong god, destroying all memory of him, burning books…_she thought. _I don't suppose all those lost spells can be recovered…_

She sighed, and Bryce continued his tale.

"With all their combined efforts, they were able to wipe out all evidence of Zaros," he said. "For years, no one spoke of him out of fear, until so much time passed they forgot. For most of Gielinor, Zaros never existed, but not all was lost. A small group managed to escape into the Khadian Desert. They rarely ever speak of Zaros, partly out of fear, partly out of paranoia that history would repeat itself."

Bryce's words about the less she knew the better came back to her. "Is that why you refused to tell me anything?"

"Yes," Bryce answered. "I'm sorry. I couldn't say anything that could result in..."

His voice trailed off. "I know you don't mean any harm, but a little information can be dangerous. Look at Xenia. She knew about the Elder Gods and their plan for destruction, but she didn't have the whole picture, and look what she tried to do. What if you tried something like that had I told you? I had to think of every situation. That's why I didn't say anything."

_And I would've kept it that way, _he added silently. _The entire faction relies on operating in secret. It's better that way for everyone. But this is too big to hide, I can't keep it a secret forever. You already know about the Great Revision, and you correctly guessed what Freneskae was. If I still didn't tell you, you would've investigated and searched for information on your own about Freneskae and the Elder Gods. Who knows what would result from that. I thought I might as well tell you myself, that'd be best. _

"They were forced to resort to banditry," Bryce went on. "But even now, they're still faithful that someday Zaros would return and take revenge against all who wronged them."

"But…that would result in more war and bloodshed," Ariane pointed out.

"Yes," agreed Bryce. "But what can they do? One does not simply forgive those that committed such atrocities against their people—  
they've been exiled, they've lived in poverty, yet they've endured, believing one day, all the wrongs against them will be reversed. To deny them the one thing they believed in would be cruel."

"What the Saradominists and Zamorakians did was obviously wrong, but revenge is wrong too," Ariane argued.

Bryce wanted to scoff but he controlled himself. _Obviously she doesn't understand. I suppose that can be excused, since she isn't Zarosian herself. No true Zarosian would simply let these things slide; a true believer of the Empty Lord would decimate the Saradominists and Zamorakians of Gielinor. _

"But what would you have them do?" he asked. "Forgive them? Can you forgive someone who committed such horrific crimes against mankind?"

Ariane was silent. She had been through some terrible times, she had been ostracised by Zamorakian and Saradominists alike at the Wizards' Tower, she had been betrayed by Ellaron, she had been told by Sir Owen just how horrible the Kinshra were when they raided Falador, kidnapped his mother and tortured her, before sacrificing her to Zamorak, she had been told by Kara-Meir how the White Knights were just as bad when they used her like a pawn in an attempt to draw the Kinshra out to be slaughtered and denied Prince Anlaf the throne of Asgarnia, despite being the king's rightful heir. But despite all that, she always had a set of ideals she tried to stick by.

_What would I do if I had been in their place? _She wondered. _To forgive is ideal, but is it impossible? Could I have done it? Taken the higher road as they say? _

She did not know, and she hoped she'd never find the answer. A few seconds of silence passed before she changed the subject.

"What happened to Azzanadra?" she asked. "How did he end up inside a pyramid?"

"He did everything he did to defend the Empire," Bryce said, swelling with inner pride. "He was the strongest, he could annihilate entire armies with powerful spells, he could punch me and shatter ever bone in my ribcage, he was a brilliant strategist, and he even rode a griffin to battle. He fought valiantly, he fought nobly, he fought honourably, but even the best of men can fall. An alliance of Saradominists and Zamorakians got the better of him, they shot his griffin down and they sealed him in a pyramid. His body was paralysed but his spirit was still in tact, he kept thinking he'd be rescued, but centuries passed and no one came before he gave himself to despair and madness."

_That's simply dreadful, _Ariane thought, feeling sympathy for the Mahjarrat, but then she reminded herself his story ended well. "You came along and saved him, right?"

"I did," Bryce said. "By then he was already mad. He kept asking me about the names of places I'd never heard of, and when he realised that he cried about how he failed his lord. It was the most tragic thing I'd ever seen. I said I'd help him, but he teleported away. He did get better though; Ali the Wise nursed him back to health. It was only after he recovered that he was able to contact and make plans with Zaros, and it was only after Guthix's death that his plans became reality. I was tasked with bringing him back. I had to travel to Freneskae. It is as you guessed, a world just like our own until the Elder Gods woke up and devoured its Anima, but it is also his birthplace. He explained to me that before he came to Gielinor, he travelled far and wide; he's even been to the realms of demons and vampyres. At some point he discovered the Elder Gods and their plans to destroy everything, so he built an empire to unite all races under his cause, but now that it's been destroyed he thought perhaps it had been a bad idea, perhaps mortals should inherit the world while he watches afar from the shadows. I gathered the energy in Freneskae and wove it into a simulacrum that gave him his body back. When we left Freneskae, he gathered what was left of his followers—ones who could help him—just four people, myself included and he gave us all new orders.."

Ariane thought of what he said about how Freneskae was Zaros' birthplace and how he kept insisting to Xenia that he knew of a better way to stop the Elder Gods. "I take it that Zaros had a plan."

Bryce nodded. He then hesitated, before he spoke again. This was the very heart of Zaros' plan, and for a split second, he almost didn't feel like saying it out loud. "He wants to gain more power reason with the Elder Gods, but if that fails he'll fight them and beat them into a permanent coma."

Ariane became silent again. She had a feeling the Elder Gods would not back off so easily. _I guess a fight between Zaros and the Elder Gods is inevitable...but..._

"Would he win?" she asked. "After all, he lost to Zamorak. How can he beat an Elder God?"

Bryce's eyebrows furrowed. "Zamorak got lucky that day. But justice knows every man's number. Someday, Zamorak will pay the price on treason. Someday the Zarosians will strike back and the traitors will suffer a fate worse than death."

He paused before continuing. "Don't worry, Ariane. He'll beat the Elder Gods, I just _know_ it."

"You just _know_?" Ariane repeated sceptically.

"I have faith in him," Bryce said. "And I believe he will succeed." He glanced at the clock which read 1:52. "It's getting late. Why don't I take you to Zaros tomorrow? He can answer any of the questions you haven't asked me, and he'd be better at it too. I'm _certain _he won't mind at all."

"Oh…okay."

Bryce left the room, and headed outside for his house portal, which he planned to lock so Ariane couldn't leave during the night. Ariane sank back into her bed. She thought about what Zaros planned to do and she remembered the Battle of Lumbridge, which killed, injured and displaced hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people from their homes, damaged property and farmland and the Battle of Asgarnia, which killed, injured and displaced even more.

_Zaros wants to gain even more power, _she thought. _I don't think I'm too far off if I say he's planning to get the Stone of Jas, like Saradomin, Zamorak, and Armadyl. I wonder how much destruction he'd cause just with that. And if we count the battle with the Elder Gods, what would become of the world? _

_And no matter how convinced Bryce is, I'm still not sure he could win. He couldn't even beat Zamorak...come to think of it, I don't even know what he can do or if he has any special abilities or the limits of his powers. I'm not sure if Bryce knows either, he never spoke of them...Bryce has complete faith in Zaros...I'm a little worried. He's certainly pious, but...I hope he can still see reason, unlike some of the overly zealous Saradominists I've encountered, even though Zaros doesn't sound like too much of a tyrant; he's a bit like Guthix, really. But I still don't want him to be _too _devoted; I don't want him to become Zaros' Kara-Meir. Extremism is dangerous for every faction, and I only hope he'll be reasonable enough to see the flaws of Zaros' plan._

She sighed. _But his plan is the only one we have, unless we can come up with something else, it's either his plan or death. Xenia..._

At the mention of her former mentor, Ariane's vision became blurry with tears again. She was reminded of how Bryce kept telling Xenia he knew of a better way to stop the Elder Gods, although he wouldn't say what, and she clenched her fists in resentment. _Why couldn't you have told her too? You made an exception for me, you could've done the same for her. If you'd done more, maybe she'd be alive right now!_

A second later, she unclenched her hands and felt a bit guilty_. Perhaps I'm being too hard on him. After all, he could only tell me because he had special permission, it wasn't like he could've gotten it in the middle of our confrontation..._

_Although I do wonder why...and he's even arranged for a meeting with Zaros. I wonder how that would go..._

**If you read my previous stuff, you might've noticed that this one is darker and edgier than what I wrote before. That was intentional. Bryce was always meant to be an anti-hero, and so far, I've shown you his good side, but I haven't shown you his dark side until now. I hope I didn't go too far and make him a designated hero. So let me explain his actions, he hated goblins 'cause they killed his parents (it's all in his profile, link is in my profile, if you haven't read it I highly recommend reading it to get the most out of my Runescape stories) and he wanted to kill the entire race ('cause he wanted revenge and he didn't know which goblin killed his parents so he decided to kill them all off, it's basically a twist of the "they killed my parents, I'll avenge them" story), and he initially wanted Zanik dead too. Bryce also sided with Hazeel and he killed Henryeta Carnillean's infant son to prove his loyalty (in the original quest, he had to kill a family member too but he ended up killing the dog, and that didn't fit in at all with my darker setting so that had to be changed), he did it because of how rudely the Carnilleans treated him, and he wanted some revenge, he does regret it but not because he killed a baby, it was because he helped a Zamorakian, and at this point it's clear that he _hates_ Zamorakians. He invades Etcteria takes the Queen prisoner and humiliates her only after he gets to Miscellania (in-universe, he thinks it's a good move, because forcing her to walk wearing nothing but chains in Etcteria would be counterproductive in keeping the peace; it'd make the citizens want to rebel when they see their queen treated so inhumanely, he's treats the Queen courteously enough when he captures her but when he gets to safe ground he drops the act) because in my version, the Fremennik quests (especially Royal Trouble, I think that's the only one that has to do with the Miscellania storyline aside from Throne of Miscellania of course) take place during a time of civil unrest in Miscellania, Bryce becomes Lord Regent after King Vargas takes a leave (due to that yeti curse and he can't rule properly as a yeti, especially when it comes to doing any public events) but he has to put down some rebellions from nobles that don't accept him, and after that Miscellania becomes impoverished as a result of the civil unrest, and Bryce decides to invade Etcteria to conquer the country, take their land and stuff. And in my darker setting, King Vargas (after the yeti curse gets cured) married Queen Sigrid to maintain the peace, and to make sure the Queen won't take revenge, Bryce keeps her in a dungeon and brainwashes her into being the perfect queen (that part about "cutting away piece after piece of her identity until there was nothing left and then rebuilding her in the King's image" is _not_ meant to be taken literally. The brainwashing takes place off-screen, allowing the reader to each imagine what happened, because sometimes that's scarier than me outright telling you what happened. **

**Fun fact: Both versions of the goblin quests and the Fremennik quests are references to stories I wanted to write but never got around to. **

**So, Bryce is supposed to be a complex anti-hero who manages to do both good things (he ends the Miscellanian/Etcteria war, ends the civil unrest in Miscellania, kills a shitload of dagannoth, makes his people wealthy) and bad things (oh c'mon, you know about those), he solely believes that the end justifies the means; he may have good intentions, but he won't use honourable means to achieve his goals. I hope you see him that way. If not, remember that people (as a general whole, I'm not counting individuals here) are more likely to excuse "bad deeds" done by a good-looking character than an average to ugly one, so if you need to be reminded what Bryce looks like, there's a link to a drawing of him on my profile.  
**

**And Bryce is rather genre-savy, so he knows someone like Ariane (who's supposed to be an efficient mage but also naïve as seen with her philosophy on revenge and pragmatism) won't like what he's done, so he hides his darker side from her, but he does genuinely care for her, as seen in my previous stuff and the way he treats her when she's unconscious (which I hope didn't come off as creepy). Speaking of romance, this is for the person/people that went "oooh, he blushed in front of Azzanadra, that means something's happening between them!" No. Like I said in the story, this is platonic and nothing more. (Plus, both of them are straight). **

**Fun fact #2: Azzanadra's theory about the rune essence mines being related to the Elder Halls is a fan theory I saw on the Runescape forums. **

**If you're wondering why Azzanadra still praised him despite all the unheroic stuff he did, it's because in my version, Azzanadra doesn't care what Bryce does, as long as he supports the Zarosian cause Azzanadra will see him as a good guy. **

**As for the very whitewashed history of Zaros that Bryce spoke of, that wasn't me wanking about how awesome Zaros is. That's due to Bryce only having one source for history—Azzanadra and that book Azzanadra wrote and gifted to him (all right, that's two but whatever), and we all know Azzanadra viewed Zaros and pretty much everything about him with rose tinted glasses. Between that and his need to make himself and by extension the cause he supports look like the good guy (which is why he conveniently left out the part about the Ilujanka), there was really no chance of him telling an unbiased version of Zaros' history. Of course, it would all change if Jagex ever made a quest where you get to travel to the Second Age via the Enchanted Key and see what the Empire was really like. **

**Fun fact #3: Zaros fighting the Elder Gods is another theory I saw on the forums (yeah I know it probably won't happen, but just imagine Zaros fighting the Elders, it'd be badass as hell). **

**Fun fact #4: Zamorakians and Saradominists burning books and crucifying/impaling Zarosians is a theory I have on how they destroyed all memories of Zaros, it's not just me making stuff darker and edgier for no reason. I mentioned somewhere in the story that Saradomin and Zamorak had them crucified/impaled then it says their followers did it, that's not a continuity error, the gods ordered it, and their followers actually did it. Oh, and the guys who got crucified didn't get whipped beforehand, so it took them longer to die. **

**Fun fact #5: Ozan's "adventure" about rescuing Bryce from a lair of fire spiders is based on real, in-game dialogue. **

**Oh, and if you're wondering why Ariane never finds out about the Ancient Spells, I wanted to get some cruel irony in there. **

**I hope I didn't fuck it up too much. If I did, feel free to tell me, I take criticism well (as long as you give it well, so if you did think something sucked, tell me _why_ it sucked).**


	3. Chapter 3: Chains Around the Heart

**(Author's Note: Well, this is late. The fourth and final instalment of my post-Heart of Stone fic. Sorry, real life—mostly school got in the way. By the way, if you want to read my stuff early, watch me on Deviantart, I'm Nerd-artist23 there. I upload my stuff there first before cross-posting it on this site.  
**

**Here's a rundown of the story so far:** **after killing Xenia, who was her mentor after she got expelled from the Wizards' Tower, Ariane is naturally...upset about having to resort to that. Upon hearing from the** **Prehistoric Abyssal that the Elder gods are starting to wake up, Bryce decides to report this to Zaros and Azzanadra, two people who should never be kept out of the loop when it comes to stuff like this. To make matters a bit more complicated, Ariane suspects Bryce knows more about the Elder gods than he's letting on, and he knows she's right. But a lot of what he knows concerns Zaros and his plans for them, since part of being Zarosian is keeping your allegiance to him a secret, he can't just say it out loud, but he doesn't want to keep her in the dark either, so he asks permission to ask Zaros if he could tell someone who he considers to be a trustworthy friend.** **Luckily for him, Zaros says yes, though she will have to swear a blood oath, saying she would keep it a secret, because ever since the Zarosian Extermination, it's not a good idea to run around Gielinor screaming "hey guys! I know about Zaros! I know about Zaros!"**

**This chapter, like the previous ones also takes place after Fate of the Gods and Heart of Stone (that's rather obvious), but before Dishonour Among Thieves, Plague's End and the Light Within. And just like all those fics and anything else I'll write for a video game fandom**, **gameplay and storyline segregation applies. Things that work in a video game medium (*cough* eating 28 sharks in half a minute to heal yourself *cough*) that doesn't make much sense in a literary one, will be changed.)  
**

There it was.

The white portal was shining so brightly under the mid-day sun, it almost glowed. Even far off in the horizon, it stood out very clearly against the lush greens of the Kandarin forest, like a rare gemstone amongst a pile of brass bars.

They ran southwest. Bryce led the way, and Ariane followed not far behind. She could feel the wind blowing through her hair as her feet carried her; it was the same wind that was carrying the smell of roses and vanilla her way. She closed her eyes for a second, and inhaled the smell of his cologne, before opening them again.

_Bryce… you've been awfully quiet ever since last night, _she thought. _That's…that's not like you; not at all. _

And she was glad he wasn't his usual self, for in times like this; in times when such shocking revelations show up out of nowhere, she preferred solitary contemplation over conversation.

She recalled Bryce's words. _Zaros ruled with wisdom and justice; he was merciful to those that bent the knee, stern with those that did not and he punished those that rebelled. He was never corrupted by power; he gave the Empire countless years of peace and prosperity, _

_He sounds perfect_, she thought. _And yet… I still can't help but wonder if all of that came with a catch..._

She reminded herself of Guthix giving Bryce the power to resist divine magic, so he could protect the world from those cruel gods that would only turn Gielinor into another Askroth, and Armadyl saying he believed that gods and mortals can coexist in peace.

_Like Armadyl, he wants peace, and like Guthix, he wants mortals to inherit the world, _Bryce had said, but Ariane still had her doubts; after seeing and hearing about some of the more atrocious things the gods had done—from Bandos starting the Battle of Asgarnia for his own laughs to Zamorak starting the Battle of Lumbridge without ever considering how many people he would kill, injure and displace, to Saradomin doing the exact same thing, despite supposedly having a higher set of morals. It was hard, if not impossible for her to believe that Bryce's god was any better.

_Zaros seems unreal, _Ariane thought. _He'd give up the power to rule, even _if _he was as Bryce said, the ideal god and the ideal king and there was nothing to lose for him and his people if he kept ruling...How can anyone choose that? This has to be impossible, but..._

_Bryce is convinced it's not; he's as loyal to Zaros as Sir Owen is to Saradomin…and whether or he's right, the fact remains, now that Xenia's…_

She gasped as her mind flashed back to the day before; she had shot an Air Surge that killed her former mentor. She could feel the tears coming, but she blinked several times to keep them from rushing down her cheeks.

Bryce turned his head back to face her, but he did not stop running. "All right there?"

"Yes, fine."

"Don't worry. We'll be there soon."

_Zaros is the only one with a plan to stop the Elder gods, _Ariane thought…_His plan won't drain Gielinor of its magic, but I'm still not fully convinced it would work…_

She nodded, as her thoughts trailed off. "We should go faster."

They did and the landscape began to change; the further south and the further west they ran, the less common it was to see trees, instead neverberry bushes appeared in their place. They soon passed a bearded gnome in yellow standing next to a strange grey rock with a large crack that exposed its bright blue flesh.

As they ran, Ariane could see the portal getting bigger and bigger, and she could make out more details, like the marble pillars and the stairs in between them that lead to the entrance. It wasn't long before she noticed the neverberry bushes becoming more and more rare until they disappeared, leaving them surrounded by tall, shin-length plants with large leaves, like the ones she had seen in Bryce's garden, except these were longer and wilder.

They passed three blue-green ponds, and by then Ariane was close enough to see odd markings on the portal's pure white frame, which was enclosed around a green circular doorway. They stopped moving south, and began running west. The amount of tall plants they saw dwindled, they didn't stop until Ariane found herself standing just a few feet from it, staring in awe at the pillars, stairs and the portal frame itself, all of which gleamed in the sunlight like alabaster, while its moss green opening glowed faintly like a pale aurora.

"Here we are," Bryce said. "At the World Gate."

_The World Gate, _Ariane repeated silently.

"They say Guthix used it to bring gnomes, fairies, ents, and dwarves into Gielinor," Bryce went on. "And of course men...Zaros used it too, for travelling the realms and planes of the universe."

And then it hit her, like a slap in the face. The druids of Taverley had spoken of it, although they called it by another name—the Portal of Life, which Guthix used to bring the race of men from their home plane. Never in her life, would Ariane have expected to lay her eyes on it.

_And now I'm seeing it in person, _she thought. _I can't believe it. This is…this is just…too much…_

She was about to take a step forward when Bryce held out his arm and blocked her way.

"Wait," he told. "We should rest before we go in."

That surprised her. Up until now, Bryce had wasted no time in bringing her here. His maid had woken her up an hour after sunrise and handed her an envelope with an unbroken wax seal. She'd opened it and read the note explaining telling her to meet him outside the house as soon as she was ready. When she was done, the maid brushed her hair and dressed her in the green and brown dress she had worn yesterday and brown boots with heels thin and long as spikes, before leading her downstairs to the dining room where she saw the elaborate breakfast laid out on the table. There was hot bread, pork sausages long and thick as her fingers, fried eggs, a pot of black tea, and jars of marmalade and honey. She helped herself to some bread topped with orange marmalade, eggs, and tea sweetened with honey. The moment she was finished, the maid escorted her out the purple portal, and she was greeted with the sight of Bryce in leather jacket and trousers, carrying a brown leather backpack as he stood next to Captain Bleemadge and his brown glider. He gave the gnome pilot a pouch overstuffed with gold pieces, and then told her he'd take her to the Tree Gnome Stronghold, while he would get there by his own means, though they'd both meet at the top level of the Grand Tree and journey southwest from there. After they left the Tree Gnome Stronghold together, they never stopped, not even for a second to catch their breath… not until now.

"Why?" she asked.

Bryce climbed up the steps and sat down. "As soon as we step into the World Gate, we'll enter a world where everything will try to kill you. There's lightning in Freneskae that strikes without warning, lava falling from the sky like rain, vents in the ground spewing hot steam, and sometimes the land itself bleeds lava…even the Freneskae air is toxic."

Ariane gulped. _And unless _they_ can be stopped, Gielinor will become…just like that. _

A second passed before she followed Bryce up the step, and gazed into the World Gate. It was like looking through a thin and translucent silk veil, Freneskae reminded her of the Wilderness, with its rough terrain, rugged hills and valleys, erupting volcanoes, bright orange lava rivers, jagged mountain peaks and plateaus, all covered with dark purple ash, except it was even more lifeless.

Ariane sat down beside him, and wondered if she was looking into a mirror which reflected Gielinor's grim future. She pondered on what Bryce had told her. _Zaros wants to gain more power and reason with the Elder gods, but if that fails he'll fight them and beat them into a permanent coma._

And she remembered how he tried to reassure her when she voiced her doubts. _Don't worry, Ariane. He'll kill the Elder gods, I just _know _it. _

_You _don't_ know, _she thought. _You're relying nothing but blind faith alone. I don't think even you know the extent and limits of his powers, otherwise you would've told me for sure._

_That's why I'm sceptical.. If he couldn't beat Zamorak, how can he win against them? Gaining power would mean winning the Stone of Jas, but he can only do so if he kills the most gods. He's lost to Zamorak once, how can he beat him again? And what about Saradomin? He's even stronger now, can Zaros kill him too? _

She sighed mentally._ Perhaps Zaros will do a better job convincing me, after all, you did say I could ask him anything I haven't asked you. I hope he'll give me a better explanation. _

She then wondered how much longer they'd have to rest. As usual when she was feeling impatient, time seemed to slow down, and a minute felt like an hour. She glanced at Bryce, and he too, was staring into the World Gate.

Bryce could feel Ariane's eyes on her, but he didn't shift his gaze way. He knew she was trying to process all that he had told her, and he knew she needed more time to think.

He thought of the first time he trekked through Freneskae, when he had to remake Zaros' body. That had been a perilous trip, and by the time he reached the Sanctum, he was bruised and scratched, his legs were scalded by the steam vents, his shoulders were burnt from falling lava, the tips of his hair was singed from the lightning and the poisonous air made him cough up blood.

_I actually thought I was going to die, _Bryce recalled, thinking of how he stumbled across the unfamiliar landscape, injured and forcing himself to go on, not knowing where he was heading or if he would get there alive.

_I won't have her go through that…_

The memory of Ariane being thrown back by Xenia's Earth Surge when they confronted her in front of the Wizards' Tower flashed through his mind, as did the one of Ariane slamming into the cave wall when the Prehistoric Abyssal hit her with his fireballs. He gritted his teeth as his anguish returned.

_Not again…_Never_ again…_

His hands flew up, and he gripped the strap of his backpack tightly. _Because this time, I won't fail; I've come prepared, for anything and everything. I'm going to keep her safe, no matter what! _

He stood up, let go of the strap and extended his hand out to her. "Shall we go?"

Ariane's eyes widened at the gesture, for he had never offered her to take his hand before, and she was a little curious to know why he was doing so now. "Yes, but—

"It's best if we stay close together," Bryce interrupted, as if he read her mind. "You know how dangerous Freneskae is. Even if you're on your guard at all times, there's no telling what could and very likely would go wrong. I don't want anything to happen to you, Ariane…not when we're so close to what we came for. If it did…it'd kill me to see a friend get hurt, and I'm going to what I can to prevent it…isn't that what friends do? Keep each other safe?"

"Oh…uh…yes…I suppose so."

She placed her hand into his, and felt the softness and coolness of his palm. Without another moment of hesitation, they leapt into the World Gate.

* * *

They started running again, and it was just as Bryce said; nature was a harsher mistress on Freneskae than she had ever been in Gielinor. Every few seconds lightning would strike and steam would shoot up from the ground. Lava puddles were nearly everywhere—there was one every few metres and they had to sidestep around them. Every one in a while, the puddles would bubble and burst without any warning, and if they weren't careful, the lava would splash onto their clothing.

Even with her mind on high alert, she was almost hit a few times, but Bryce always managed to pull her out of harm's way at the last second. He never let go; not when they dodged lightning, steam, or bubbling lava, not when they crossed the bridge of stepping stones that had formed in front of the lava waterfall, not when they slid down a rather bumpy slope, not when they leapt from one ledge to another.

She lost track of the time, but to her, it felt like several hours at the very least. She was beginning to tire; her legs got heavier with each step, she could feel sweat all over her body, she could hear herself panting with exhaustion and she could feel blood trickling down her chin. She would've given anything to rest, even for a minute, but there was nowhere safe from the deadly Freneskae weather.

Ariane glanced at Bryce, who didn't seem to meet her gaze. His pale blond hair was tousled from running and his skin was covered with a light sheen of sweat, but his jacket was spotless, and so were his trousers, although the lava bubbles did burn a few holes in his black leather boots. There was blood coming from his mouth too, though his face remained expressionless. She wondered if he was as weary as her, but looking at him was like examining a statue and decoding his thoughts was next to impossible. When she had enough of that, her eyes focused back on the dark purple scenery ahead.

_The longer you tarry, the more time you'll spend thinking about Zaros instead of meeting him and getting your questions answered, and concerns addressed, _she told herself, and she'd repeat that every time she was tempted to stop.

By the time they reached the sanctuary that was the Sanctum's cave, Ariane was so tired, her legs gave away, and she immediately collapsed onto the ground. However, she was able to use her hands to break her fall at the last second. She began panting more profusely than she had before, and drops of sweat and blood fell to the ground.

Bryce sat down right in front of her. He opened his backpack and took out a vial of bright green liquid.

"Here."

She looked up, saw Bryce frowning as he handed it to her and wondered what could be upsetting him.

"Antipoison," Ariane said. She had spent enough time in Taverley to recognise potions, but she still wanted to hear him confirm it.

"Antipoison with roe," Bryce corrected. "It's a special barbarian antipoison mix, it's stronger than the regular kind. Drink, it'll stop the bleeding."

She took the vial, and did as she was told. Bryce took out another vial and did the same, and neither stopped until the vials were half empty. Then he wiped the blood away with the backside of his hand, and took out a lavender handkerchief with his family crest embroidered on two of its sides. He gave it to Ariane, and she used it to wipe the blood away.

Bryce shook his head when she tried to return it.

"Keep it."

He picked up his backpack, and began to walk towards the Memoriam device. Ariane followed, and now that she was no longer in constant danger, she was finally able to loov around the cavern.

Purple was all around her; the walls and ground were purple like the rocks outside, and they appeared to be just as rough. There were two cyan posts guarding the entrance she had just walked away from, and a few feet away from those posts were two more cyan ones. They were just as tall and thin.

_Four in total then, _she said, making a mental note to herself.

She could also see that the middle of the room was sunken in, like an empty basin at the foot of a mountain, only it was carved into a diamond shape, with purple stairs built in each of its four corners, and flanking each staircase were two purple posts taller and thicker than the ones near the entrance. She followed him down the stairs and watched as Bryce strode across the sea of black and brown and blue tiles that stood beneath the stairs. He stopped as soon as he reached the central tile—a diamond shaped purple one, with brown borders and a metallic blue cross in the middle.

Bryce took out a purple shard from his own pocket and turned to her. "This is it, what I've been waiting for. Zaros will be here any second."

"I'm ready," Ariane said.

_Me too,_ Bryce thought. _And you don't know how long I've waited for this, ever since he gave me permission to let you know. I hated seeing you so upset. When I was finally able to say it after keep it a secret for so long, it was such a sweet, liberating release…to not have to have to keep everything I know all bottled up…_

_But…you didn't seem convinced of Zaros' true selflessness when I told you about the flawless way he ruled his Empire, you didn't think the desert bandits should have revenge on the bastards who took everything from them…and you were so sceptical of his plan..._

He took a deep breath and silently prayed that Zaros would make her understand, before inserting the purple shard of Zaros into the cavity at the very centre of the blue cross in the Memoriam device. As his anticipation grew, so did his pulse, and as the seconds passed, they became louder and faster, so much that he could've sworn that Ariane could hear his heartbeats.

His mind flashed back to all the careful planning he had done last night, while he paced back and forth in his bedroom, wondering how he could stay in line with Zaros' orders and get them to Freneskae as soon as possible. Teleportation would be out of the question, since they would have to cast the spells separately, and there was the chance of Ariane running off on her own, and travelling to the World Gate on foot was just impractical. Unfortunately, there were no fairy rings nearby, and the closest transportation to the World Gate seemed to be flying on the backs of gigantic eagles, but then they'd spend too much time climbing down Eagle's Peak. He told himself there had to be another way; there had to be another method of transportation nearby.

And then he remembered the Tree Gnome Stronghold. He instantly thought of gnome gliders, and he knew there was even a pilot near Taverley, but they'd have to fly separately. If they split up, she might go off alone, so he searched his brain for another way to get there. That was when he remembered the spirit trees, but in order to get the by spirit trees, he'd have to find another spirit tree, and there were only five of them in the world—one near the Poison Waste, one by the Mobilising Armies area, one in the Tree Gnome Village, one in the Khazard battlefield, and one in the Grand Exchange. None of them were close by, except…

It then came to him, he realised he had the ring of wealth that he almost always kept fully charged, he could use the ring, while Ariane would use a gnome gilder. But he'd need a quick way to contact Captain Bleemadge and convince him to take Ariane to the Grand Tree, as well as a way to prepare them for the arduous trip through Freneskae. It didn't take him very long to think of the gnome seed pods he had lying around, and he knew the gnome would do him this favour if he was given enough gold. All that was left was to think of something to make to protect them from the Freneskae air, so he spent the night brewing antipoison potions and packing his bag. He did not go to bed until he had everything.

He only slept for a few hours. When it was still dark outside, he got up and left his house. He threw a gnome seed pod into the air, and took less than a second for it to explode like fireworks. That got Captain Bleemadge's attention, he flew down White Wolf Mountain, and the two made a deal. Hours later after, when Ariane and the captain lifted off into the air, he rubbed his ring and was teleported to the Grand Exchange, where he ran to the spirit tree in the northeast corner. After he appeared in the Tree Gnome Stronghold, he ran to the lake beside Otto's hut and fished for some roe, and then he waited in the third floor of the Grand Tree. Finally, Ariane joined him, and their run began not long after she landed.

_I did all I could, _he thought. _It's time for you to take over from here, my lord. _

A burst of purple lightning struck the ground, and with it came a large purple ball of light which instantly started to melt away, like frost in the summer, allowing Ariane to see fragments of the god that stood behind the disappearing purple orb. She spotted the dark purple of his sleeves, then the metallic blue-green armoured glove beneath, then the same metallic blue-green and gold of his shoulder pads, then the blue-green body armour over his purple robes, followed by the matching hood and blue-green mask that revealed nothing but eight purple eyes, glowing brightly like flames in the black night.

When the purple ball of light was completely gone and she could see all of him, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the god before her. He was at least two feet and a few inches taller than her and so alien-looking with his glowing eyes inside his metallic mask and the smiling gold mouthpiece in his collar. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at what she was seeing.

She couldn't explain it, but she swore she could feel power radiating from Zaros. It sent a shiver down her spine, as she gazed upon something so great and powerful, strong and deadly, something that made her feel so dwarfed by comparison, like she was an insignificant and vulnerable speck in the face of the universe and the mysteries that lay beyond it. It was a feeling reminding her of her own place, no matter how skilled of a sorceress or how experienced of an adventurer she became.

Zaros was a fascinating sight, and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away. Whilst she stared, Bryce knelt, like a knight before his king.

"My lord," he started. "I present you—

"Ariane Selwyn," Zaros interrupted. "Bryce has told me about you."

He spoke in a deep monotone, of several different tempos, as if different voices were speaking at once. Some of his words echoed, and his mouthpiece moved as he talked, but its lips stayed forever curled in a smile.

"You have questions."

Ariane nodded. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She tried it again, but she still couldn't think of what she should say.

_Who are you really? From what Bryce said, you were the best ruler anyone could hope for, and yet you'd rather give up your power and position. Why? Aren't you supposed to be the god of control? How does that fit into your philosophy? _

_How did the fight between you and Zamorak go? How did you lose? What _can_ you do in a fight? Do you have any unique powers? You're going to fight for the Stone of Jas, aren't you? How are you planning to kill Armadyl, Zamorak and Saradomin? You already lost once to Zamorak…how are you going to prevent history from repeating itself? And what about Saradomin? He's even stronger than Zamorak now, what's your plan to deal with him? And what about the Elder gods? How can you beat them? _

So many questions were swimming in her mind, she didn't know which one to pick first.

"You wish to know about my plans to stop the Great Revision," Zaros said.

"Sorry?"

"The Elder gods are starting to rise," he explained. "They're only stirring for now, but when they're fully awakened, they'll drain every ounce of Anima out of Gielinor to nourish themselves, and your world will become an empty husk like this one."

"So…how will you prevent that?" Ariane asked.

Zaros glanced at Bryce. "Leave us to talk, World Guardian."

"As you wish, my lord" Bryce said. He looked at Ariane for a few seconds, surveying her coolly, before he turned around and exited the cavern.

"I'll be by the World Gate if you need me," he said.

The Empty Lord turned his attention back to Ariane. His purple eyes, darker than Bryce's, pierced her green ones. He thought of the things he had seen inside Bryce's head; of her telling Bryce about her premonitions and how she tried to control it and even managed to trick a demon only to be expelled from the Wizards' Tower. He thought of her telling Bryce they would not hold themselves back from exploring Dragith Nurn's tomb, of her and Bryce defeating Magic Stick when the trolls tried to invade Burthorpe and Taverley. He thought of her and Bryce at the Varrock museum, looking at the ancient Zarosian tablet on display, of her and Bryce talking about his fight with Bandos' avatar, of her wondering about mortals fighting gods should another God Wars come, and he thought of her conversation with Bryce in the Blue Moon Inn the day Guthix died.

There was a brief pause before he got back to her question. "_I_ am going to become to become an Elder god."

Ariane's jaw dropped. A few second passed before she responded, and when she did, her voice came out as a whisper.

"What?"

"I intend to claim my birthright," Zaros continued. "Only then will I be able to stand equal to the universe's creators and speak on behalf of mortals."

Ariane became speechless for a few seconds again. "Your…birthright?"

"I was created this way," Zaros explained. "Created to be divine at birth by an Elder god. Unlike the younger gods, Saradomin, Zamorak, Armadyl, and Bandos before he was slain, I was never mortal."

"No…"

She couldn't believe it. Bryce never said he was created a god, only that Freneskae was his birthplace, and she'd assumed that he grew up in this barren land until the day he ascended to godhood. Just like the confrontation with Xenia in Lumbridge, Ariane wanted to sit down, have a drink, and let her mind process this new revelation, but she knew there was no time for such things.

"How?...How can...how is that possible?...Who?...Who made you?"

"Mah," Zaros answered.

"Mah…" Ariane repeated, thinking of Xenia's notes that she had read while Bryce and Kipple tracked her down and the lack of information on Mah compared to the other Elder gods.

"The goddess of potential," Zaros said. "Without her I would not exist, but she is like a child, despite having such immense primordial power that she can create life with but a thought. The Anima of this plane was not sufficient to nourish all the Elder gods, and Mah was malformed. She was born without memory or knowledge, only instinct. After finally clawing her way to the surface, her first instinct was to pour what little energy she had into the creation of me."

He paused before resuming. "To her I was akin to a child's doll, a toy to play with for amusement and to throw away when she got bored, nothing more. She gave me life but I loathe her. I could not abide her possessiveness, and I soon grew tired of my torturous existence. As soon as she started to weaken, I left."

_Created by an Elder god to be a god, _she thought. _So that's what he meant by his birthright. _

She recalled Bryce's words again. _He wants to gain more power reason with the Elder gods, but if that fails he'll fight them and beat them into a permanent coma. _

_A fight between him and the Elder gods is simply inevitable. They won't give up their source of nourishment so easily. But if he was an Elder god, he'd have a much better chance of winning…and I have a pretty good idea of how he'd gain enough power to become one of them. _

Zaros went on. "It seems that creating me took all the energy out of her, for Mah fell into a deep sleep soon afterwards, though she had nightmares and she'd unconsciously create things, mostly Muspah—slug-like creatures with hard body armour and claws in place of hands and spikes on their backs. She created the Mahjarrat too. They did not exist when I left this place, but when I first encountered them I knew instantly that we shared kindred. Their name means 'the children of Mah'. Their crystals mark their divine origin. They were unmistakably relations. I saw them as younger siblings and sought to protect them."

He paused again.

"But even that was too much. She slipped into a coma, and was too weak to even dream. To this day, I am the only being in all of the worlds and planes I've explored, to be born a god."

As Ariane stood silent and stunned, Zaros thought about the truth he had omitted. He did not want to speak of her. In fact, just thinking of Seren, her glowing white eyes, smooth skin, hourglass body it, and the way she'd try to comfort him and make him happy caused him to feel such deep desire for her, he would've given his right hand for his sister to be by his side again.

"How…how long ago was that?" Ariane asked. "How long ago were you created?"

"Aeons ago, in the infancy of the universe," Zaros replied. "To my knowledge only the Elder gods are older."

She tried to picture how long ago that would've been, but her young, human mind found it hard to imagine the just how ancient the universe was, when she herself was no older than twenty.

Ariane decided to drop that notion. "You'll be fighting for the Stone of Jas, right? How are you going to kill the other gods? And Zamorak…what about him? How are you going to beat him this time?"

_You think I will ascend to Elder godhood with the Catalyst? _Zaros thought. _No. Not the Catalyst. It's an unreliable tool, touching it will alert and enrage the dragonkin, whether one's intent is knowledge or power. The Catalyst is what you might call a double edged sword, the stronger I get, the stronger they would get, and before long, they would come after me. While it would bring them all to one place and give me the chance to kill them all, I will not risk myself that way. _

He thought of himself surrounded by dragonkin, having them attack all at once, with their immense strength and all consuming fire, and then he thought of himself falling to his knees in front of an Elder god, struggling to hold his body together.

_Should the dragonkin give me any severe, incapacitating injuries, I may not have enough time to recover…and if I fight the Elder gods in that state, they would no doubt incapacitate, or even kill me…and if I die, so would all of Gielinor…_

_No…I will not risk Gielinor's fate so carelessly…_

_I want the Catalyst and the Siphon, then Sliske would be prevented from using them. I want the other Elder Artefacts so the younger gods would be unable to use or abuse them. Even the Elder Sword, with its broken blade…I want. _

_But I'd steal them from Sliske before I'd risk fighting for them..._

He envisioned himself, with his metallic blue-green fingers curled around the hilt of the Elder Sword, only the blade was fixed, as he pointed it at the unconscious body of Mah. Such a possibility was enough to make him almost tingle with excitement.

_There are other ways of ascending to Elder godhood_ he thought.

Once again, he remembered his other half, and before his yearning for her could consume him and make him lose his sense of reason, he forced the thought aside and reminded himself that Seren was gone, shattered like a fallen porcelain vase. And just like a smashed vase, she could never be put back together.

_But I always have a backup plan ready…I may need to fall back on that…_

"Yes," Zaros lied. "I will need the Catalyst or the Stone of Jas as you call it. But I will not let history repeat itself. Zamorak will never take me by surprise again."

"Is that how he managed to beat you?"

"Yes," Zaros said, thinking of that day, when Zamorak's allies unexpectedly laid siege upon his palace. Zamorak himself had attacked him in the throne room. The usurper slew the blood reavers that guarded his throne, before stabbing him with the Siphon.

Even with the Siphon sticking out of his back, and smoke and shadow gushing out his body, the Empty Lord kept on fighting. But when he tripped, the Siphon transferred his powers to Zamorak, he bled out, and only escaped death when he ejected his soul from his body at the last second. Yet even now, he felt no hatred for the god of chaos. All he resented was the fact Zamorak's betrayal lost him centuries of time which he could've used to further carry out his plan.

"He knew he could never win against me in a fair fight," Zaro told her, lying once again. "He decided to take me by surprise. I never expected such a betrayal. Zamorak was once my most trusted general. I never had cause to doubt his loyalty, right up until the point that he betrayed me. I do not know what led him to it. In my moment of shock, he came at me with everything he could. He almost killed me…and he would have."

_Zamorak stabbed Zaros in the back, _Bryce had said. _And Zaros had to become incorporeal to escape death. _

"And Bryce had to make you a new body," Ariane said.

"Indeed," Zaros responded. "And I can promise you he will never have to make me another; I will never need to abandon my body again, because I will never lose to anyone again, this I promise too."

Ariane nodded. "I believe you."

That was not a lie. A spark of devotion to the Empty Lord was brewing up inside her, although she did not know why. Seconds passed, and she tried to find a reason to explain this feeling, but she simply couldn't. It was like being unable to find the proper words to express her thoughts; like they were on the tip of her tongue, but no matter what, she just couldn't recall them.

"No other god can do what I have done," Zaros said. "No other god can abandon their body when faced with a mortal wound. Saradomin, Armadyl and Zamorak all think I've died, as they would have, had the same thing happened to them. This time, the tables have turned; I have the advantage of surprise. I will strike unexpected, and until then, I will stay in the shadows and learn their plans and secrets. I have been dosing so, since my return. I have seen the younger gods fight, I know their strengths and weaknesses, I know their limits and any special abilities each god has, I know what each of them are willing to do to win Sliske's game. Knowledge is power, and I have all of it, but they barely know anything about me…even Zamorak doesn't know as much as he thinks he does."

"He doesn't?"

"He does not," Zaros assured. "I am not the same god as I was when he defeated me. I've grown stronger in my exile to Freneskae. I have been draining energy from the muspah Mah once created."

_So he's gained even more power, _she thought. _It certainly wasn't enough for him to become an Elder god, but..._

"The odds are in my favour," Zaros said. "Saradomin has already bested Zamorak in battle, he is now weaker than he has ever been since his ascension to godhood, when the time is right, I will take him on. The divine energy I drained from the muspah will be enough. In addition, I still have my powers; my total control over the ancient elements—shadow, ice, blood and smoke. I can spawn tendrils made of divine energy. Once they're in my grasp, there is no escape."

Suddenly, the cavern grew cold, as if winter had come early. Goosebumps appeared on her skin, and she shivered. Then, she saw tons of small, but thin and sharp ice crystals, delicately hovering in the air. Zaros raised his arm, and extended his fingers.

_Whoosh! _

The ice crystals flew past her, and she could feel just how cold they were, when they touched her arms and legs. They hit the cave wall, and rather than falling to the ground, they stayed stuck in, like needles in a pincushion. Ariane glanced at them, then back to her arm, and to her surprise, she saw she had not been cut. The ice shards did not come close enough to scratch her, just enough to brush against her skin.

"I can manipulate those elements any way I desire," Zaros explained. "Any way I imagine. You have just seen one of the many ways I can fight. I can make ice appear anywhere, so long there's moisture in the atmosphere, I can shape it any way I want, I can do the same with blood, and I can make it burst out of your body, out of every orifice, though I will not demonstrate that."

Unbeknownst to her, a large shadow circle was forming directly above Ariane's head on the cavern roof. A shadow hand then rose from it, and it reached down, until it was able to grab her head. Ariane looked up, and gasped. Before she could do anything, the shadow fingers grew longer and longer, until they touched the ground. Then they became thicker and thicker, closing in the space between the fingers, until all she could see was darkness. She pushed against the shadows and pounded them with her fists, but nothing happened. She was about to scream when the shadows receded back to the cavern ceiling.

"Shadow is not so different from ice," Zaros said. "I can make it appear anywhere, and I can also shape it any way I want. Even if you cut them with a blade, the shadows will always reform."

Ariane was about to say something when she heard a crackle. She turned her head back, and saw the ice shards coming out of the wall, and combining together, in the shape of a man that was just a few inches taller than her. The man walked towards her, but then, without any warning, black tendrils sprung up from the ground, and wrapped themselves around his legs. He tried to pull them off, but like the shadow fingers, they grew and grew, until he was completely caught, like a seagull in an octopus' tentacles.

"Had he been a living creature, I would be able to siphon his energy to make myself stronger," Zaros said. The possibilities to my powers are endless. Know this, Zamorak will die. What I'll gain from killing him...that would be would be enough for me to kill Saradomin. In the meantime, I will be relaying everything to my followers, and they will arrange a strategy to counter anything the younger gods think of."

Ariane remembered what Bryce had told her. _He gathered what was left of his followers—ones who could help him—just four people, myself included and he gave us all new orders. _

"Would that be enough?" she asked. "You only have three followers, not counting Bryce…though you do still have an entire village of bandits in the desert, am I right? But what can they do?"

"Not much," Zaros said. "If they're placed next to my generals Nex, Char, Azzanadra. Each one of them is worth an entire legion of Zamorakian Mahjarrat and demons or Saradominist icyene. Even the World Guardian is strong in his own right; he has shown me remarkable inner strength and the capacity to overcome any obstacle. Nevertheless, the desert bandits still have their own role to play."

_They're still faithful that someday Zaros would return and take revenge against all who wronged them, _Bryce told her yesterday.

"Revenge for everything the Zamorakians and Saradominists have done?" Ariane asked.

"That would serve no purpose," Zaros said. "There are more pressing matters that require my attention."

Her eyes widened in surprise, as Bryce's words came to her again. _They crucified them all. In the end, they didn't have much wood left, so they impaled the rest on roughly sharpened wooden spikes, and it took several days for the spike to go up their arsehole and out their mouth…_ _a small group managed to escape into the Khadian Desert…one does not simply forgive those that committed such atrocities against their people—they've been exiled, they've lived in poverty, yet they've endured, believing one day, all the wrongs against them will be reversed. To deny them the one thing they believed in would be cruel…_

She recalled the way Bryce looked when he said those words. His eyes had been cold and hard as the amethysts they resembled, and his tone was bitter and full of spite.

And then she thought of her response. _But…that would result in more war and bloodshed...what the Saradominists and Zamorakians did was obviously wrong, but revenge is wrong too._

"You…don't want revenge?" she questioned. "Bryce told me what the Zamorakians and Saradominists did…how they executed all your followers but a few…how slowly and painfully they died. He says they live for nothing but revenge…he..."

_He seemed so sure, so fervent, so relentless about it…._

"…Even after everything they've been through, you're still doing to forgive them?"

_No doubt the World Guardian wanted revenge,_ Zaros thought. _His loyalty is not unexpected. He is extremely dedicated to the faction, that is all too true. Azzanadra taught him well...perhaps _too _well. _

"All else matters naught in the face of the Great Revision," Zaros said again. "My foremost goal is to become an Elder god. Only then will I be able to stand equal to the universe's creators and speak or fight on behalf of all mortals. Revenge does not get me closer to that, neither does forgiveness."

Ariane did not reply. Her mouth was open in disbelief as soon as she heard that. _He really is nothing like Saradomin, Zamorak, or anyone else...If it was either of them in the exact situation, they would've taken revenge for sure; Zamorak would, so would Saradomin…even if all of his followers insist he'd do better. But Zaros...he'd…_

She found herself thinking of her answer to Bryce's question, if she could really forgive those who committed such atrocities against mankind. _To forgive is ideal, but is it impossible? Could I have done it? Taken the higher road as they say? _

_But Zaros did not forgive…all he wants is to complete his plan. I can't say I blame him. The...Great Revision isn't like anything we've _ever _faced before. If the Elder gods truly wake up, then...all is lost, and Gielinor will truly become the second Freneskae…empty, desolate…dead. _

She wanted to aid him, any way she can. She wanted to serve him, bring victory to his cause, and see him win against Saradomin, Zamorak and even Armadyl. Most of all, she wanted to see him beat the Elder gods into oblivion. Although she assumed her new found sense of allegiance was most likely the result of a desire to see the Elder gods defeated and Gielinor safe, she could not help but feel perplexed at Zaros' lack of response concerning those things.

"You…you don't believe in revenge?" she asked. "Or forgiveness?"

"I do not care for either of them," Zaros said. "Or the sentimental. Such things are pointless when the Great Revision is ahead. They will not save Gielinor from death and destruction, only I can, thus my ultimate goal is of the utmost importance. I will not concern myself with distractions."

Ariane fell silent. _He's inhuman…he doesn't feel anything…he's just calculating. But he has a noble goal in mind…and I want..._

Her pulse quickened, as her loyalty to Zaros grew. She gulped. _I want to help him. _

"I will never let Gielinor fall," Zaros promised. "I swear to you, I will do everything I can to beat the Elder gods all into a permanent coma. I will push my powers to the edge, and I will not stop until nobody but me is left standing. I will pour every ounce of my strength into defeating them; nothing will stop me or make me give up. Gielinor is a perfect world, a diamond amongst rhinestones. It is home to generations and generations of sentient life, life so fragile, yet forever enduring and flourishing, like a blooming winter rose. I believe that the Elder gods' time is done, that they have failed. A new world order is required. Conscious life was not the intention of the elder gods, but it is their creation nonetheless. Yet they are blind to it, and would consign it all to the Abyss without a second thought. Life is worth more, so much more than that, and I, _only _I am willing to fight, on behalf of everyone."

"And...and if you…_win_…"

She had to strain to say the last word aloud, as if doing so would jinx the plan, but she allowed herself to hope that Zaros would succeed. It was _so_ human of her, and she simply could not help it.

"I will usher Gielinor into a new age," Zaros said. "The Empire failed, and is no more. To build another would be folly. Mortals cannot be united by will or by force alone. I see my role now being to lead mortals towards uplifting themselves...and to work with those powerful few who have stepped beyond the need for guidance. I see this in the World Guardian, as did Guthix."

"You don't want to control mortals?" Ariane asked. "But you're the god of control."

"The failure of my empire opened my eyes," Zaros explained. "Since then, I have had much time to consider my failures. I was acting no better than Mah, attempting to control mortals. Now I know...life cannot be contained, not by any god, not even by the Elder gods. Life breaks free, and even in the face of complete annihilation, life will find a way, and life will thrive. Now, I merely wish to encourage certain individuals to reach their full potential. Individuals such as myself when I managed to break free from Mah, and the World Guardian, when Guthix bestowed upon him the power to defy divine magic."

Ariane reflected on everything she had heard so far. Zaros had good intentions, as well as a philosophy that sounded more appealing than anything she heard from Kara-Meir, Garlandia, and even Holstein. He was also the only one who had a way of stopping the Elder gods from waking up, and his plan would not drain Gielinor of its magic.

"Ultimately that is not important," Zaros continued. "The Great Revision is coming, and if we are to survive, I must claim my birthright."

She nodded, before responding a second later. "There's too much at stake."

"Indeed," Zaros agreed. "Thanks to the World Guardian, I am returned to full strength, and shall resume the pursuit of my ultimate ambition. Until then, do as you would always do. Choose your path. Follow whatever philosophy or god you desire."

Ariane's eyes widened in shock. "You…you don't want me to worship you?"

"I do not require your fealty," Zaros replied. "Though I welcome it should you wish to give it."

_A god that doesn't demand to be worshipped...that's not…it's can't be..._

And yet it was all too true. She was dumbstruck, as she had been, when Zaros revealed he was created by Mah and thus born a god. Hearing that Zaros had no desire to be worshipped was just the same for her as hearing Bryce speak of how Zaros wanted to let mortals inherit a new world free of gods, despite being the god of control who was able to flawlessly rule his empire. She was just as surprised, except now she was almost certain there was no catch to Zaros' plans.

_This is the true Zaros, _she decided, her loyalty to him growing every second and burning bright as flame within her. _He is just as noble as Bryce said, in his philosophy and his goals. There is so much at stake, but also so much to live for. If Zaros comes out victorious…_

Her mind conjured up a world without Zamorak or Saradomin or even Armadyl constantly waging war on each other, a world where mortals would strive to become their best, a world that was not robbed of its magic, a world Guthix could have been proud of.

_Before we can live in that world, we must brave through the enormous storm ahead. And just as Zaros will do anything he can to become an Elder god, so will I…just like you, Bryce...you'll be helping Zaros for sure...I'll be by your side, doing the same. _

"I've heard all I need to."

"Indeed," Zaros said again. "But before we both leave, I must ask you to swear an unbreakable blood oath."

"A blood oath?"

"Yes," Zaros told her. "My followers are scarce, you know that. They are strong, but they must work in secret. Should any news of my return or my plans leak, Zamorak and Saradomin's servants will most certainly try to stop me. Time is of the essence, the Elder gods will soon be awake. For now they are at the border between sleeping and awakening, you know that. The blood oath will ensure that you'll keep everything I have revealed to yourself. It won't hurt...much."

Ariane gulped, and a drop of sweat ran down her face, but the implication of pain could not faze her or her inner urge to help Zaros succeed.

"I'm ready," she said.

"Very well."

As soon as he uttered those words, purple divine energy shaped like coiled metal springs surrounded her, closely but not touching her. Her feet were lightly lifted off the ground, and a second later, she found herself several feet away from the top of the stairs above the tiles around the Memoriam device.

Zaros materialised before her. "Of all the ancient elements, blood is the only one that can bind individuals together. You will swear to me that you will not not repeat any of what you've heard to my enemies, and your blood will have the power to tie your promise to your life...and to me. That is to say, you will keep your oath until the moment you die, it will make sure of that. Furthermore, the blood oath must be done within a sacred magical circle."

"I've used magical circles before," Ariane said "I know—

"This circle must be made with blood," Zaros put in. "Your blood."

He plucked a long blue-green shard off his gilded shoulder pads, and handed it to Ariane, who looked at it for a split second before she removed her brown leather wristband and made a deep, horizontal cut from her inner elbow to her wrist. The pain made her wince, but she did her best to ignore it, as she walked a circle around Zaros and blood dripped from her arm to the floor of the Sanctum. She pushed the crystal blade deeper into her skin, and bit her lip to counter the pain, but she did not stop until a large, perfectly rounded circle of blood was formed around Zaros.

She stepped into the blood circle, and handed the shade back to Zaros, who walked to the circle, dipped the shard in blood, and immediately drew the same, strange symbols she'd seen carved on the World Gate, around the circle. When he was finished, he came back to the inside of the circle.

"Let us begin," he said.

The Empty Lord emitted purple lighting-like energy from his entire body. He slammed his palm onto the ground, sending veins purple energy to the circle of blood, and another, thicker one to Ariane. The purple energy veins stopped at her feet, and they shot up her body, as if she was a lightning rod, but she did not feel any pain. In fact, she felt nothing at all, as she was engulfed with energy.

Zaros stepped forward and placed his right foot next to his hand, and he concentrated on making the energy flow from his foot, before he removed his hand from the ground.

"Swear me your oath," he ordered. "Swear it now."

Ariane immediately opened her mouth and began to speak. "I, Ariane Selwyn swear before you Zaros, that I will never, _ever_, on any condition repeat what I have heard today to those who don't follow you. I will stand by this promise, and remember it for the rest of my days. Only death can free me of this oath. Until then…silence and secrecy will be my duty."

"From this day until your last," Zaros added. "Your words shall be bound to your actions by your intent…and by me."

He motioned for her to get closer, and she did as he commanded.

"Open your mouth," he said.

She did that too, and Zaros reached in and grabbed her tongue with his long, claw-like blue-green fingers. Before she could react, he pulled with all his strength. The muscles in the back of her mouth were unable to withstand it. In the face of such power, they were torn, like they had the fragility of mere paper, and a second later, her tongue simply popped out.

Blood immediately gushed out of her mouth, streaming down her chin, before falling onto the dark purple ground in red drops. And then the pain came.

Searing pain, as if her tongue had been her hands and feet that were tied to ropes on one end and camels on the other; camels which ran in four different directions, to rip off the limbs of a condemned Al Kharid criminal.

"Ah!...Ah!..."

She was not even shocked or angry at what Zaros had done, for the pain was so great, it was the only thing on her mind. All she wanted was for it to stop—potions that would render her too numb to feel anything or potions that could knock her out for a bit. She would've settled for anything.

Zaros ignored her cries. He concentrated and willed divine energy in his hand to move to the shard he was holding, and shape it into a tongue that would function as her old, pink one once did. In a second, translucent purple energy flowed down and coated the metallic shard.

The divine energy induced a transformation process. The shard shrank and its sharp edges were rounded out, and on one end, blue-green muscles that looked just like the ones he had torn, began to form.

For Ariane, it seemed like hours before it was complete, and Zaros put the substitute tongue into her mouth. With the help of the divine energy covering it, the new tongue automatically reattached itself to the broken muscles. The energy started healing them too, and the pain started to grow dull.

Zaros concentrated on directing some of the energy around Ariane's body to absorb into her, before making the rest return back into himself. Naturally, the energy did exactly what he wanted; a bit went into Ariane's body through her open mouth, most of them rushed back to him through the purple energy veins. Then, they became shorter and shorter, as the energy which they were made of flowed back to him.

"It is done," he concluded.

Ariane smiled, feeling nothing but gratitude and loyalty to the Empty Lord. "Thank you."

"Until the next time we meet, do as you otherwise would, had we not met. _Pax tecum_."

* * *

Bryce broke into a smile the moment he saw the scarlet-haired sorceress return from the World Gate. She had been gone for quite a while, and while he waited, he imagined how Zaros and Ariane's conversation might have gone, and he wondered how a blood oath would be done.

The more he thought about it, the more he wished that Zaros had allowed him to stay, and the more he wanted to go back to the Sanctum, but he knew he could not disobey Zaros, so he stood by the World Gate, and imagined of he best scenario possible, where Ariane would understand his plan, and maybe even realise just how benevolent of a god he was.

"How did it go?"

Ariane returned his smile. "Wonderful…"

She recounted everything that happened after Zaros asked him to leave, before sticking out her tongue and showing him the replacement.

Bryce's jaw dropped. He could not look away from it. His blood ran cold, he could not say a word, and all he could think of was the conversation he and Zaros had.

_A blood oath…My lord, if I may ask, would the ritual…hurt her?_

_Not much, _Zaros had told him.

He was also reminded of what Zaros had told him just before they both returned to Gielinor to meet with Azzanadra, Char, Nex and Sliske. _You may come to learn something about me—that I...compel loyalty within others, forcibly._

_Against their will?_ He asked at the time.

_It is not something I have control of_, Zaros had clarified. _It is something that was done to me by Mah. I am unable to rid myself of this... ability, but I must live with it. Do not be concerned—it does not affect you, World Guardian._

_But it affects your followers?_ He'd asked.

_Yes, _Zaros had said._ I find the idea of coercing another mind to be... distasteful. But it only affects those in my presence, and the effect dissipates with time. This is how I know that those still loyal to me are truly loyal. They have not been under its effects for many centuries, yet still heed my call. I wished for you to know this from me, so that you could understand it._

"I'm sorry, Bryce" Ariane said. "I was wrong to doubt him. Zaros is as you said, noble and selfless, honourable and righteous. He will stop the Elders, I'm sure of it, and I will do everything I can to help him. You'll do the same. That means…we'll be working side by side…together."

Bryce said nothing in return. He just stood there, and stared straight ahead, not at Ariane, but just into the vast green space before him, as if she was not there. In his head, she wasn't; he was alone with nothing but Zaros' words repeating themselves. Several seconds went by, but he never moved or spoke, or even blinked.

"Bryce…" Ariane tried again.

Again, he did not answer. He kept staring and thinking of what Zaros had said. Ariane placed a soft, white hand on his cheek.

"Bryce…"

He did not respond. It was like he ceased to function like a person, even though his heart was still beating, and his breathing was normal.

"Bryce…"

There was still nothing.

"Bryce!"

She slid her hand down to his shoulder, grabbed his other shoulder with her free hand, and she shook him. That finally got some of his attention, and he looked down at her. She gazed into his eyes, and realised how dull they had become. The light in them had gone, now they were lifeless and vacant, as if a vital part of him was gone. For a moment, she wondered if he would suddenly collapse.

"Bryce," she said. "What's going on? Are you all right?"

A few seconds passed, before he blinked, but the dullness in his eyes did not fade.

"I...I'm sorry."

Without another word, he pulled her into a hug, with both of his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Ariane."

Ariane let her hands drop and she hugged him back out of politeness so she wouldn't appear awkward, than desire.

Bryce remembered Zaros' answer to his question about how painful the blood oath might be, and the relief that washed over him afterwards. He tightened his grip around her body.

"Forgive me."

"Bryce, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing," he lied.

"You're acting very strange," Ariane remarked. "You ignore me and now you have your arms around me…what's the deal?"

Bryce took a few seconds to reply. "It's…noth..."

He cut himself off.

There was a long pause before he took his hands off her. "I'm sorry…I just remembered…I have some…unfinished business with Zaros…I must attend to that."

Ariane opened her mouth, but Bryce continued to speak.

"Alone," he told her. "He insisted I go to him alone. I'm sorry…I have to leave now."

Frustration boiled inside her. He already told her everything, Zaros opened her eyes, and made her realise her loyalty, she even swore an unbreakable oath, promising to never open her mouth to the wrong people, hadn't she done enough? She certainly felt loyal enough, wasn't she a part of their faction now? Doesn't she deserve to know too? Zaros already told her so much, surely a bit more wouldn't hurt.

But she knew better than to question the Empty Lord, whom she was beginning to think as her new master, or disregard his orders.

"Fine," she said. "Shall I wait for you?"

"Please do."

* * *

He leapt aside, as another bolt of lightning struck the ground. The toxic air was making him cough, and he covered his mouth to do so. When he was done, he removed his hand and saw blood on his palm. He wiped it away on his trousers, and kept on charging forward.

With each step, his shock, anger and sense of betrayal grew. He wanted nothing more than to have a chat with the Empty Lord.

_Why did you do it? Why did you lie? You said the blood oath wouldn't hurt her, but…you...you lied to me…Why? _

_Just like how you lied about not wanting to force loyalty on others…yet you…you did so on Ariane…you said those who were always by your side would automatically feel loyalty for you..._

_Her new tongue…it's a part of you that would always be with her…it's your way of ensuring loyalty, isn't it? _

_You told me you thought that was distasteful… but that's a lie… Why?...Why did you lie to me? ._

As he ran faster, his eyes shifted back and forth, watching out for lava, lightning and steam. He wanted nothing but answers; he wanted them as soon as possible, so much that it was the only thing one his mind. He didn't realise how tired he was until he arrived at the Sanctum and started panting.

Zaros had not teleported out since meeting Ariane and making her swear a blood oath. He had been standing facing the cavern entrance, as if he was expecting a confrontation with the World Guardian.

Bryce wanted to start his question immediately, but he forced himself to kneel in front of him.

"Get up," Zaros told him.

He did as he was told. "What is the meaning of this?"

Despite the concoction of emotions inside him, he kept his voice calm, although he managed to make himself sound as stern as he could, to his god.

He went on. "You lied to me. You said the blood oath wouldn't hurt her. Instead, you tore her tongue out. You told me you didn't like forcing loyalty on others with your presence, but the replacement tongue you gave her...that tongue would stay inside her forever. Why? Why did you lie?"

"You know why," Zaros replied. "You know I have little followers left. You know Azzanadra, Char, and Nex are all tasked with very important assignments. Their success is vital for the fate of Gielinor. If she speaks one word…even _one_ word to my enemies, they'd form one big alliance against me. That would benefit no one. You know perfectly well I would only let you tell her about me on one condition—that she would not pass it to anyone who does not follow me. You know perfectly well I must do what I can to prevent her from exposing the truth. If I had not conducted that blood oath, a disaster could have befallen upon us. I merely prevented it; now there's zero chance of such a thing ever happening."

"You _lied_," Bryce said. "You said you hated to see loyalty being forced on your own men, you said you wanted them to follow you out of their own free will…yet you took away Ariane's."

"Did you think I enjoyed it?" Zaros asked. "You of all people, should know that we must all do things we don't want, things we hate. Yet we still carry on, knowing what we did was for the greater good. Your companion…she murdered her mentor for the greater good, you had to infiltrate Darkmeyer and torture an old widow to gain the trust of those vampyres, you had several Miscellanian nobles and their families hung drawn and quartered to show them you would not tolerate those that refused to accept you as lord regent, you fought for Saradomin despite your hatred of him, so Zamorak would not destroy your hometown, you repeatedly lie to _her, _in order o make her think favourable of you…you have done many things you did not want for the greater good, do _not_ talk as if you have never made such tough decisions."

"You still _lied_," Bryce insisted. "You said it wouldn't hurt her, you had her tongue removed; you tore it out. Why? Why did you lie?"

"Your affection for the girl has left you blind to reason," Zaros said. "Did you think for a moment had I told you the truth, you still would've brought her here without question? No, you would have been very conflicted, and you may have even let her leave on her own. Armed with that sort of information, the amount of people she could have told is endless. I did what I had to do; I lied so you would bring her here to swear that blood oath. I averted a potential catastrophe."

This time, Bryce did not say anything. He looked at the floor, and he pondered over the very words Zaros had spoken. _I would've definitely been conflicted, like I had been when I had to choose between my faction and my duty as the World Guardian to protect Gielinor from the gods. But would I have…ignored Zaros' instructions? Would I have chosen love over duty? _

He did not know, and he hoped there would never, ever be a time for him to make that choice.

_But _he _thinks I would've. _He_ still doubts me. Does he know me better than myself? Would I have really chosen Ariane over Zaros? _

He remembered the times he visited the underground temple at the Varrock dig site and he would chat with Azzanadra and they would discuss Zaros and his philosophy, the old Empire and the city of Senntisten. He remembered being enamoured with Azzanadra's descriptions of the city, from the forum to the basilica to the coliseum. He remembered Azzanadra telling him that Zaros was the patron god of the ancient spells and curses, and being instantly fascinated by the mysterious god. He remembered asking him about Zaros and Azzanadra answering all his questions and telling him what a perfect god Zaros was and how he gave the Empire centuries of peace and prosperity and how he was never corrupted by power, until he was so taken in by the former Pontifex Maximus that he wanted to follow Zaros too. He remembered the day he decided to act on his wishes. He remembered telling Azzanadra he wanted to know more about the Second Age and the Mahjarrat responded to that by giving him a history book he had written himself, and he remembered travelling all the way to Ghorrock for the Frostenhorn and Morytania for the Barrows icon, braving through the elements of Freneskae to restore his god.

_All this time…I thought I've been a loyal Zarosian…could it be…that despite all I've done, my loyalty is still…wavering? _

"What's done is done," Zaros declared. "To agonize over the past cripples our thoughts of the future. Do not procrastinate for fear of what might have been, or what might become. To do anything else would make you a poor World Guardian."

There was a long pause before Bryce looked up and spoke again. "As you say, my lord."

"Until the next time I call upon you, World Guardian," Zaros said. "Until that time comes, _pax tecum_."

With a flash of purple lightning, Zaros teleported away, leaving Bryce alone in the Sanctum. He thought about Ariane waiting for him by the World Gate, he thought of her sweet smile and her happily telling him that she had seen the light and would now help Zaros, and her telling him they would fight for the same side, together.

He'd always dreamed about such a situation, and in his daydreams he would always be ecstatic about Ariane's change of heart, but now he was anything but. He tried to picture how the oath had gone, how Zaros pulled out her tongue, how she must've screamed.

He wanted to kick himself. He failed to protect Ariane again, now his incompetence had cost Ariane her free will. Bryce sighed deeply, and sat down on the ground.

_I said I'd protect her, and I couldn't even do that…it's all just empty words now...I always tell myself I'd keep her safe…and…now…_

His hands curled into fists and he slammed them onto the ground. _Zaros lied…he lied to me…_

_But why? He's so honourable and just…why would he need to lie?_

_Did you think for a moment had I told you the truth, you still would've brought her here without question? _He recalled. _No, you would have been very conflicted, and you may have even let her leave on her own._

_He said that if I made the wrong choice, I could've brought about a disaster, Ariane could've told someone…an enemy…or anyone who could've informed the enemy of our plans. He prevented that…so…_

_Zaros lied for the greater good, right? That means he must've _not_ wanted to lie, right? He must've hated that…yet he knew he had to…that must be why…it has to be! _

He sighed again, and thought of the many times he did things for the greater good, things he never wanted. He didn't know what to feel; he understood perfectly well that every man must do unpleasant, even ugly things for the greater good, yet Zaros' deed left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

He did not want to go back to the World Gate, he did not want to face Ariane, he did not want to be reminded of his failures. Yet he knew he could not stay in Freneskae forever, Mah would absorb the Anima he emitted and wake up, and without Zaros, she would most certainly obliterate him.

And he could not keep Ariane waiting forever.

Slowly Bryce got up, and made his way to the cave entrance. He sighed for the third time before he ran out and ran through Freneskae again, avoiding lightning, lava and steam until he reached the other side of the World Gate in Gielinor.

He was face to face with Ariane the moment he left the Gate, and Bryce kept his expression as composed as possible when he looked into her green eyes.

"What did he say?" she asked. "What did Zaros want?"

"Not much," he said.

Ariane raised her eyebrows. "If he wanted to talk to you he clearly had something to say."

"He told me to keep it confidential," Bryce told her. "He told me to tell no one. If he wanted anyone else to know, he wouldn't have told me to come to him alone."

She had no weapon against that argument, and however much she wanted to know, she wouldn't defy Zaros' orders.

"Let's go, Ariane" Bryce said.

"Where to?"

Bryce paused. He thought of his home in Taverley, with its pale grey stones and magenta rose gardens, the World Gate and the realm it let to, where Ariane received her answers and lost her free will. He thought of Port Sarim with its many ships he could charter and all the ports they could go to, the small kingdom of Miscellania with its king still grateful to him for breaking the yeti's curse, the elven rebel camp Lletya surrounded by trees and poisoned wire traps and the ogre spa resort Oo'glog with its health springs and shops and tourists.

"Somewhere far away from here."

And without another word, he ran north. Ariane followed, and while she sometimes glanced back at the World Gate and watched it get smaller and smaller, Bryce never looked back.

** This first time, I think, I've ever described food in a story. Most of the time, I don't really bother with what anyone's eating, but I was hungry when I wrote the first draft, so I included a description of what they were eating, and I didn't delete that while I was editing 'cause I sort of liked it. **

**Yes, Ariane runs around Freneskae in heels. That's meant to be a shout out to Jurassic World, the scene where Claire, Bryce Dallas Howard's character—no, I did not name Bryce after her, I came up with this character before I even saw the trailer to Jurassic World, runs in heels to lure the T-Rex to the Indominus Rex. I don't care what anyone says about that scene being unrealistic or allegedly "sexist," that scene was awesome. I also gave her a last name, and I aged her down to 20, even though the Runescape wiki says she's 25. I just thought if she was 25, she'd be too old to be a love interest for Bryce who's 21. **

**And you may have noticed, in this instalment, it's revealed that Zaros isn't going to fight the Elder gods or combine with Seren to become an Elder. Both of them are fan theories I've seen on the Runescape lore forums, and the more I think about it the more unlikely they seem. The former just feels...off. Sure, it'd be pretty badass for Zaros to fight the other gods, use the Elder Artefacts and the Stone of Jas to ascend to Elder godhood and then fight the Elders. I'm a sucker for the cool factor, I'll admit that. But it doesn't feel as plausible to me now, as it did when I first read that theory. How can Zaros fight the Elder gods if he can't beat Zamorak? C'mon, the guy was a mortal at the time, if Zaros was such a powerful tier 2 god, how was he not able to win against Zamorak? Plus, it's sort of out of character for him to fight in the open, he's a more "manipulating everyone and everything behind the shadows" guy. The latter just feels too obvious, I don't think Jagex will go for that. **

**So yes, Zaros is making them _think _he's going to get the Stone and the Elder Artefacts to get stronger to fight the Elder gods, when he's really going for something else. Because he's Zaros, and he likes to keep secrets like that. Still, he's 9001 times more trustworthy than Sliske. **

**I was originally going to include ancient combat abilities in Zaros' demonstration, but then I realised that'd make EoC a thing in my fanfic universe, and I didn't want to do that because that would open up a can of worms. Just look at magic abilities, how are we even able to use them? Don't we we need runes to do magic? And look at the dragon breath ability, how are we even able to breathe fire? **

**And that part where Zaros says "life will find a way," that's a reference to Jurassic Park. Yeah, I _really_ liked those movies. That part where Zaros pulls her tongue out (I hope that wasn't too violent or anything, I was not going for a gorefest there) and gives a her new one made of his own shard, that was inspired by what I know about the parasite Cymothoa exigua, which attaches itself to a fish's tongue, causing it to atrophy and fall off, then the parasite takes place of the tongue and it functions just like a tongue.**

**Zaros was not an easy character to write, and I hope I got him right. That part where he says "yes I lied about how much pain the blood oath would involve, but I didn't want to do it," that could be taken in two ways: either he was telling the truth about not wanting to force loyalty but he had to do it for the greater good, or he lied in the first place when he was in our head in Fate of the Gods and he actually likes forcing people to be loyal to him. You can interpret it however you want, depending on how you feel about Zaros. **

**Zaros' moral ambiguity was a response to a review a review I received about too much pro-Zaros material in the previous chapter. I thought about that, and I realised the reviewer was right, I needed something to balance that out. Speaking of pro-Zaros material, you may/may not have noticed that Zaros and Ariane's conversation didn't have anything about demons, vampyres or how he tricked Hostilius into granting him a demon army, or what he thought of Saradomin, Armadyl, Bandos etc. About that...there is a deleted scene where they do talk about it and Ariane asks him why he was so opposed. That ended up deleted because it didn't transition well enough into the next scene. You see, when you write a story, you don't just jump from idea 1 to idea 2. It has to flow smoothly from one idea/paragraph to another. That scene wasn't doing that very well, so it ended up being deleted.**

**From the look of how it's all going, Bryce is shaping up to be a failure hero. He vows to protect Ariane, but the circumstances always get the better of him. That's not really what I intended, and I might have to really consider how I write him in my next Runescape fic, which deals with Dishonour Among Thieves.**

**Hopefully, I didn't mess up too much, and if I did, feel free to tell me, the best criticism is the honest kind, that makes me think.  
**


	4. Deleted Scene

**(Author's note: Here it is, the deleted scene, where Zaros telling Ariane of his encounters with demons and vampyres and how he trick Hostilius into granting him his legions. Plus he gives her his opinions on Armadyl and Saradomin and he explains why he was so opposed. In my draft, she says "you travelled..." right after he tells her he left Mah.) **

"You travelled through the universe," Ariane said. "You met other races…demons and vampyres…and Mahjarrat, and you built an empire when you came to Gielinor."

"That I did," Zaros agreed. "Demons were the first conscious life I encountered after leaving Freneskae. I was fascinated by their culture, language, government, and beliefs. I took the Infernal tongue for my own, and I used that language to seal them in a pact of servitude. Do not judge demonkind by those you have experienced. You will have only met the embittered Avernic slaves Zamorak led in an uprising after my banishment. My pact was with their Chthonian masters. Their forms were a seemingly random array of appendages, but they had one unifying trait: the ability to absorb knowledge from that which they ate. Ergo, within the strictures of demonic law, cannibalism was outlawed. Tellingly, the punishment for many crimes was to be eaten. Thus those in power grew ever more knowledgeable and vast."

Ariane felt a bit queasy. _He had demons serving under him...demons that he forced into servitude...but Bryce said…he said Zaros was the ideal god, and yet..._

"I can sense your unease that I would ally myself with such beings," Zaros began, as if he read her mind. "But you should understand that they were not monsters. They were vastly intelligent, their pursuits cultural and artistic. Their value was in the militaristic Avernic forces they marshalled, and they rarely involved themselves directly in combat. Even though they were immensely difficult to kill, their numbers dwindled over the destruction of my empire. It is possible that some still survive to this day, buried in the deep places of the world."

"Why force them into servitude?"

Zaros told her his tale of how he arrived in Infernus and asked the demon leader Hostilius for a legion of demons in exchange for the secret to travel between planes. They had decided to make a pact, so both would honour their end of the deal, but Hostilius had tried to trick him; he'd said all of his legions would belong to the eldest signatory, thinking he won, until Zaros revealed that he was far older than the demon lord had ever imagined.

Upon hearing this, she stopped feeling uncomfortable. After all, she'd tricked a demon too, and she knew that his intent mattered more than the act itself.

"And vampyres?" she asked.

"I was initially less convinced by the vampyres," Zaros said. "But being only the second race I encountered, I had little to compare them to. At first, they were nothing more than predatory beasts, but I applied what I had learned from the demons and gave them a society. As with any burgeoning society, there was bloodshed and civil war... but eventually an aristocracy rose up that persists to this day. Even vampyres have the potential for good or ill, but their thirst is ever present and often overcomes their will. Demons and vamyres were just the first races I encountered. These races originate from the lower planes—these being the earliest creations of the elder gods, and which are nearest to Freneskae. I would have gladly accepted all mortal species under my banner, but by the time I'd reached the higher planes, those races had adopted the doctrines of other gods."

"Like Saradomin? And Armadyl?"

Zaros nodded. "Saradomin is self-righteous, seeing things only in extremes. It was from him that I first learned of the notions of good and evil. I dismiss such notions—there are only actions and consequences. We agreed to disagree. Everything to him is either black or white, but he himself exists in the grey. Ergo, he is a contradiction. Yet many have prospered under his rule, most notably your species... so there is some merit in what he espouses. And he has become the most powerful young god in the wake of Guthix's end. He would make for a good envoy, if only he would widen his world view a little."

Ariane didn't know what to think about that; she wasn't sure if she would agree with his philosophy that there was no good or evil, just actions and consequences.

Zaros kept talking. "And when I knew Armadyl, he was idealistic and naïve, but his intentions were always pure. There is value in that. Azzanadra has told me of the tragic loss Armadyl suffered during the God Wars. If he had given into his despair I would have no interest in him, but his recent victory over Bandos suggests this event has forged him. I shall watch his progress intently. As for Bandos…he had a brilliant strategic mind and an innate ability to expose the truth in any situation. If only he could have curtailed his eternal desire for war, he might have proven useful. I have more interest in the one who defeated him, and in those who will succeed him."

"Succeed him? But he's dead," she pointed out.

"The god may die, but the philosophy is eternal," Zaros said. "In time, another will grow to take his place, be they a god or not."

She thought he was right on that one. Bandos' followers, no doubt, would not give up so easily. Though they'd retreated, she knew they were hidden somewhere in Gielinor, plotting to strike back. The notion of that made a drop of sweat run down her face.

_As long as they don't find an Elder Artefact, we _should_ be okay, _she thought. _And I hope they never find an Elder Artefact. Bandosians would use it to wreck all sorts of havoc on the world..._

She stood in silence for a few seconds, imagining what Gielinor would look like should that happen, before she realised her train of thought was getting off track. She re-focused them on the topic at hand.

_He built an empire, and Bryce made it sound like paradise, _Ariane thought, what Bryce had mentioned about the cement roads, long aqueduct bridges, ornate victory arches, and libraries overflowing with now lost spell scrolls. _But if it was so good..._

"Why were you so opposed?"

"Sometimes, simply being the largest target is enough to become vilified," Zaros replied. "But it is also because I sought unification. I wanted to bring all the young gods under one banner, but they would not recognise my divinity. I would have welcomed them all, but they were blinkered by their own narrow, dogmatic views, and so they rejected me. In the old days, I started wars over that. After he deposed me, Zamorak feared retribution from those remnants of my empire who remained loyal to me, while Saradomin sought my secrets. Whether to steal them or bury them, I cannot say."

**I _really_ wanted to keep it, it was a good scene I thought, it had Zaros reveal more of his history to Ariane. But I had to delete it, it didn't fit well into the scene. It was starting to get off topic. They went from his past to his philosophy. By itself it doesn't seem too bad, but in the context of the scene, they were still supposed to be discussing his past, and by the end of this (now deleted) scene, Ariane's supposed to be reflecting on his birthright to be an Elder god. Like I said, when you write a story, you can't just jump from one idea to another, because it sounds awkward and disorganised. The two ideas have to be connected in order to transition well, this scene wasn't doing that, when the topic jumped from his philosophy back to his alleged birthright, it just sounded off, and I couldn't have that in the final copy. **


End file.
